ROCKLIN, Calif. – Vanguard won the outright Golden State Athletic Conference women's volleyball regular season title with a 26-24, 25-16, 25-16 road victory against Jessup at Warrior Arena on Saturday.
It is the second regular season championship in school history and the first since 2015.
VU captured the title by virtue of owning a four-match lead with three to play. The Lions have won a school record 19 straight contests and are 21-1 overall.
The 11-0 GSAC start is the program's best since going 14-0 in 2015. VU also has won 20 consecutive sets dating back to its Sept. 22 match at Life Pacific.
Delaney Hill continued her torrid run through GSAC competition, leading the Lions with 11 kills on .625 (11-1-16) hitting. She is hitting .350 through 11 conference matches.
Callie Bickmore also finished with double-digit kills, tallying 10 on .304 (10-3-23) efficiency. A trio of Lions – Morgan Cole, Bailey Olbur and Kayla Robinson – added seven kills each. Robinson's seven kills came on 10 errorless swings, while Olbur hit .400 for the match.
Libero Natalie Escher tied for match-high honors with 10 digs. The setter tandem of Madeline DeLucia and Rachel Lim both posted 19 assists. Lim, Blair Dodge and Jenesis Rios served up two aces apiece.
The Lions hit .289 overall, marking the seventh straight match they have finished better than .250.
What Happened?
Set 1 – Bickmore and Hill accounted for nine of VU's first 14 points as the Lions edged out to a 14-11 lead. Bickmore had the team's first three kills of the match, while Hill knocked down three straight at one juncture.
Delaina Hunt and Carolena Bogdanovich posted consecutive assisted blocks to trim VU's lead to 17-16, but the Lions scored the next three points to create a 20-16 cushion and force a Jessup timeout.
The pause did wonders for the Warriors as they proceeded to score five straight points. Madalyn Miller's kill gave Jessup a 21-20 lead and all the momentum. The Lions scored back-to-back points on an Olbur kill and Cole solo block to tie the score at 23-23.
Robinson's kill got VU to set point, but a Lion service error evened the score again at 24-24. But Cole and Hill polished off the 26-24 win with back-to-back kills. VU hit .286 (19-7-42) while the Warriors countered at .171 (10-4-35).
Set 2 – The Lions commanded from the outset, taking a 7-1 lead following two straight Olbur kills. The Warriors nibbled at the deficit to pull within 8-4, but the Lions answered with three straight to lead by seven.
A 5-1 run was punctuated by an Olbur-Dickson combo stuff, opening up a 17-7 VU lead. The Lions coasted from there, letting the Warriors get no closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Hill, Robinson and Dickson posted kills to provide the final three points and seal the 25-16 victory. The Lions held Jessup to .000 (7-7-25) hitting.
Set 3 – VU posted an identical 25-16 win but trailed early as back-to-back Taylor MacCuish aces gave Jessup a 6-5 lead.
But the Lions went on an 8-1 run to assert control. Solo blocks from Hill and Olbur keyed the response as VU led 13-7. The run eventually became 12-2 with Bickmore throwing down two more kills along the way.
Leading 17-8, the Lions comfortably finished off the set. Robinson had back-to-back kills as VU got to match point. Dickson hammered in the final nail as VU celebrated its title-clinching run.
Why Is It Important?: The Blue and Gold moved to 6-0 in road contests this season.
What Was Said?: "We couldn't be more excited for what we have accomplished thus far, but we aren't done yet," said Head Coach Jennifer Dorn. "Still a lot of goals ahead of us, and this has been an outcome with a team, that from the top down, has bought into our process and vision."
What's Next?: Vanguard hosts Senior Night against Life Pacific on Friday, October 20. The match begins at 7:30 p.m. at Orange Coast College.
