SANTA ANA, Calif. – Vanguard women's volleyball broke the record for longest win streak in school history with a 25-16, 25-19, 25-22 triumph over visiting Hope International on Saturday afternoon at Calvary Chapel High School.
The Lions notched their 17th straight victory, eclipsing the previous record of 16 set by the 2015 squad. It also was VU's fourth straight win by sweep. The afternoon was capped off with a ring ceremony honoring the 2023 Vanguard national championship beach volleyball team.
The Blue and Gold (19-1) strengthened its foothold on first place in the Golden State Athletic Conference, improving to 9-0 in conference play, three games in front of a trio of 6-3 teams – Life Pacific, Jessup and Menlo.
Sophomore Delaney Hill continued her impressive play against GSAC opponents, tying her career high with 14 kills for the third time in the last six contests. The outside hitter hit a solid .429 with just two errors in 28 swings. She spearheaded an offensive attack that registered a .322 hitting percentage, the sixth time this season the Lions have finished above .300.
Graduate student Callie Bickmore is performing on the same arc as Hill, finishing with 11 kills on .526 (11-1-19) efficiency. Over the last four GSAC contests, Bickmore is hitting a torrid .444 (36-4-72).
Morgan Cole added seven kills and freshman middle blocker Kayla Robinson also had a solid contribution with six kills on .714 hitting.
Madeline DeLucia led the Lions with 24 assists with counterpart Rachel Lim providing 16. Natalie Escher produced a team-best 12 digs, while Cole had 11 and Lim and Blair Dodge chipping in nine more.
Macie Powell led the Royals (8-12, 3-6) with 15 kills and hit .462. HIU hit .168 overall and lost the battle in kills (48-36), service aces (6-2), digs (52-48) and blocks (5.0-1.0).
What Happened?
Set 1 – Hill was spectacular with eight of VU's 17 kills in the 25-16 triumph. The Lions hit .359 with just three errors in 39 attempts, while holding HIU to .216 hitting.
The two teams battled closely with seven early ties. At the 9-9 mark, the Lions broke away with a 6-0 run, highlighted by a pair of Dodge aces. The Royals cut their deficit to four on two occasions, the last at 16-12, but VU scored seven of the next nine points to lead 23-14. Hill had five kills during that run to keep the Royals at bay.
Olbur slammed her fourth kill on set point, as VU won the first set for the eighth straight match.
Set 2 – The second set resembled the first as both teams battled through three ties and three lead changes early on. The Lions managed a 10-6 lead on a Bickmore kill, but HIU responded with three straight points to pull within one.
The Lions replicated their big run from the first set with another 6-0 surge, turning a 12-11 lead into an 18-11 bulge. Four different Lions produced kills in that stretch with Bickmore, Hill, Robinson and Cole getting in on the act. Another Robinson strike ended the run.
HIU was undeterred, and scored seven of the next 10 points to slice the deficit down to 21-18. Powell's third straight kill resulted in a VU timeout.
But the Blue and Gold got a big Olbur kill out of the break, and a Lim ace increased the lead back to five at 23-18. Another Lim ace brought the Lions to set point, and a HIU attack error clinched the 25-19 victory.
VU hit a sizzling .382 compared to HIU's .241.
Set 3 – It was the strongest defensive play by both teams, featuring some outstanding rallies that thrilled the fans in attendance. VU's block emerged when it mattered most, playing a big role in the 25-22 victory.
The Royals took an early lead for the third straight set, but this time managed to hang on for longer periods. A couple of mini 3-0 runs provided HIU leads of 9-6 and 12-9 with Powell and Sofia Ramdhani collecting two kills each.
VU called timeout at the 12-9 mark, but HIU continued to lead at 16-12 following a Lion attack error. The Lions then scored four of the next five points to pull within one at 17-16, with two straight Cole kills forcing an HIU timeout.
Back came the Royals, which got another Powell kill to go ahead 20-17. VU called its final timeout, and that helped interrupt HIU's momentum as the Lions reeled off three straight. Hill pounded a kill, then combined with Olbur to roof Powell. A Dickson solo block on Ramdhani got Blue and Gold nation roaring as the score was knotted at 20-20.
HIU took a brief 21-20 lead, but VU assembled the Blue and Gold roofing company. Olbur and Bickmore stuffed Cassidy Koffroth to take a 22-21 lead, with Olbur and Dickson striking again to deny Kathryn Schwab at the net. The Royals moved within 23-22 on a Ramdhani kill, but the Lions closed the match out on a kill by Bickmore and an HIU attack error.
VU hit .238 while the Royals managed just .085 efficiency.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions entered the weekend clinging to a one match lead in the GSAC standings, and left with a three-match cushion. That's key given four of the final five conference matches are on the road.
What Was Said?: "Extremely proud of our team's response today coming out of a travel trip the night before," said Head Coach Jennifer Dorn. "We knew Hope would be scrappy and we had to come out with pressure right away. Shout out to our defense and Delaney, who put on a hitting clinic on the right side."
What's Next?: The Lions travel up north for a pair of matches next weekend, beginning on Friday, October 13 at Menlo. First serve is 5:00 p.m.
