SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Vanguard women's volleyball team took on the head honchos of the Golden State Athletic Conference Tuesday night as the Lions squared off against Life Pacific. VU seemed to be headed for a sweep but the Warriors pushed back in the third, as LPU was ahead by as many as eight points early on and were still six points up towards the end of the frame. But the Blue and Gold were not to be denied, as the Lions outscored the Warriors 12-5 to pull off a comeback in the set and complete the sweep 25-20, 25-19, and 27-25. The Lions moved to 13-5 overall and 3-1 in GSAC play, with LPU dropping to 6-2, 3-2.
What Happened?
The first set began with Callie Bickmore (JR/Auburn, CA) striking for the opening kill of the match but Life Pacific would get even on a service error. The points went back and forth for a few rallies before a kill and an ace helped the Warriors get ahead 7-4. Morgan Cole (FR/Bakersfield, CA) then put down her first kill of the night and over the subsequent rallies, VU would gain some ground and tie the score at 10-10, with Bickmore and Delaney Hill (FR/Foothill Ranch, CA) each collecting kills. Despite getting back into the match, the Warriors quickly got off the mat and went on a 4-1 streak to force the Lions to take a timeout. The home side could not catch up to LPU though, as the squad called another timeout down 19-16. This time, the break benefited the Lions, who quickly tied the game with three unanswered points, including the first kill of the night by Hailey Petersen (SR/Omaha, NE). Knotted at 19-all, the Lions would activate "clutch mode" and outscore the Warriors 6-1 to close out the set. Bickmore had back-to-back kills, Petersen added a kill to her tally, and LPU made some errors in the process as Vanguard grabbed set one 25-20. The Warriors hit .000 in the first and VU hit .027.
The second period started with a strong serving run for Madeline DeLucia (JR/Happy Valley, OR), who picked up an ace while the Lions streaked away to a 5-0 lead. Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) racked up a pair of kills to get her night going, as the Lions pushed their advantage to 8-3. But the Warriors would not fade out, as the visitors made a quality 8-2 run to tie the set at 10-10. With the match still tied at 14-all, Adeline Galvanoni (FR/Chandler, AZ) came off the bench and provided an instant spark, as she ripped off three kills in quick succession. Blair Dodge (SO/Aliso Viejo, CA) added in an ace, and the Lions forced LPU to take a timeout. Ahead 18-14, VU held onto the lead as the set wound down. Hill, Fernandez, and Petersen each contributed kills to put VU up 24-19. DeLucia then dropped an ace just inside the back line to claim set two 25-19 for VU. The Lions hit .217 in the second while LPU hit at a .139 clip.
Early in the third, it seemed that destiny would serve up at least a fourth set. Life Pacific cranked up the gas and flowed out to a 9-2 lead. A kill for Fernandez and an error by the Warriors made it 9-4, but LPU would soon claim its largest edge in the frame at 12-4. Vanguard burned its second timeout, and it did spur the squad to three straight points. However, Life Pacific did not appear phased, as the Warriors seemed to be comfortably ahead 20-14 late in the game. But that did not deter the Lions, who got a kill from Cole to help spark some confidence. A couple of errors by LPU helped Vanguard to trim the lead to 21-19, but the Warriors would strike back quickly to run their advantage to 23-20. Petersen then smacked a ball down and another miscue from the Warriors made it 23-22. Life Pacific called its final timeout and a kill from Hannah Caddow put the visitors on the brink of a third-set victory. But that did not happen, as Galvanoni and Darm each collected kills to tie the set at 24-all. An error gave VU its first chance to complete the sweep but Caddow, who had a blistering third set, threw down a kill to tie things up at 25-25. Fernandez then dropped in a kill and Cole got a Warrior tip on her next swing to complete the third set comeback for the Lions. VU took the third 27-25 to finish off the sweep, as the squad hit at a .204 rate in the set. LPU had a .125 attack percentage in the final frame.
For the match, the Lions hit .159, with 42 kills and 21 errors on 132 attempts. LPU hit .090 for the match. VU had more assists, digs, and total blocks than Life Pacific, and each team had five aces. Cole and Fernandez each had 10 kills to top the team, though Fernandez ended with the better attack percentage (.233) between the two. Petersen had six kills and Bickmore had five. Galvanoni had five kills and one error off the bench. DeLucia had 19 assists and Rachel Lim (SO/La Palma, CA) had 13. Dodge had 24 digs to lead the team, with Cole collecting 12 and Fernandez 14, as the pair collected double-doubles on the night. Darm had five block assists to pace the lineup.
What was Said?
"We are evolving as a team and starting to work through the process together," said Head Coach Jennifer Dorn. "We set ourselves up well in the first set, but we weren't executing. Once we executed our swings, we were able to put the pressure back on LPU. The third set was an excellent display of grit and heart, as we dug ourselves into a massive hole early on. Many would have given up and moved on to the fourth set, but we saw work ethic and heart come out in full display from our team. Shoutout to Blair, who is stepping into another level of confidence and dug 24 balls tonight."
Why is it Important?
The Lions are now in a three-way tie for first in the GSAC with Westmont and Menlo. Vanguard also moved to 9-2 all-time against the Warriors.
What's Next?
The team will travel to Arizona this weekend for two more GSAC games. VU will start the excursion by playing OUAZ on Friday, September 23, at 6:00 p.m.
