FULLERTON, Calif. – Sophomore Morgan Cole delivered a 21-kill, 13-dig double-double to help propel the Vanguard women's volleyball team to a four-set victory over Saint Katherine in the opener of the HIU Summer Slam on Friday.
Set scores were 26-24, 25-17, 22-25, 27-25. The Lions improved to 5-1 on the season, while the Firebirds fell to 4-2.
Cole registered a season-high in kills while hitting .226 (21-9-53) for the match.
Viktoria Dickson and Callie Bickmore added nine kills apiece. Bailey Olbur hit .333 with eight kills and five blocks, including two solo.
Natalie Escher and Blair Dodge patrolled the back row with 24 and 13 digs, respectively.
Rachel Lim had 30 assists to go along with 10 digs for a double-double. Her teammate, Madeline DeLucia, chipped in 15 assists, five digs and a pair of service aces.
The Lions won the battle in kills (56-47), digs (79-71), aces (8-4) and hitting percentage (.169-.146).
What Happened?
Set 1 – The Lions used a 5-0 run to overcome a four-point deficit and fought through six late ties to take the 26-24 victory.
The Firebirds opened up four point leads on five different occasions before the Lions mounted their comeback trailing 18-14. Dickson started the rally with a kill and then teamed with Olbur to stuff Makenzie Nutting at the net. Saint Katherine committed an attack error, with Delaney Hill and Cole rolling off back-to-back kills for the 19-18 lead.
Saint Katherine tied the score at 19-19 on a VU service error, and the two teams exchanged points until the score reached 24-all. Hill's kill got the Lions to set point, and Jenesis Rios dropped an ace to secure the victory. VU hit .220 (14-5-41) in the frame with STK chiming in at .214 (15-6-42).
Set 2 – Saint Katherine burst out to a 5-1 lead but Vanguard responded with eight straight points to grab a 9-5 advantage. Freshman Kayla Robinson had a pair of kills during the run for the Lions. The Lions eventually churned out a 12-1 run, with a pair of aces from Cole making the score 13-6.
Two Olbur kills helped the Lions extend the lead to 19-10, forcing an STK timeout. Out of the break, Olbur and Bickmore double stuffed Naomie Cremoux to forge the first double-digit lead of the match.
The Firebirds briefly fought back with four straight points as VU called timeout. The Lions scored four of the next five points to reach set point at 24-15. Cole slammed down the final kill to provide VU the 25-17 triumph. VU held STK to .032 hitting while swinging at a .212 clip.
Set 3 – Saint Katherine led from start to finish to win the third set 25-22. The Firebirds put together a key 4-0 run to race out to a 14-7 lead. The Lions sliced the lead to three on a few occasions, trailing 20-17 on an Olbur kill.
The Firebirds scored back-to-back points on a Cremoux kill and ace to lead 22-17, but the Lions answered with a 5-1 run to pull within 23-22. Cole got hot during that stretch with three kills.
STK emerged out of the timeout and won the set on back-to-back putaways by Daniela Jimenez-Paz and Haily Murray.
Set 4 – The fourth set was tight throughout with 14 ties and seven lead changes.
The Firebirds held a slim 8-7 lead when the Lions erupted for five straight points. Olbur landed a kill, and Dodge was at the service line for four straight points as VU led 12-8. The Lions remained in front at 13-9 when the Firebirds started a streak of their own, reeling off six in a row to force a VU timeout.
VU steadied the ship as Cole's kill and combo block with Robinson knotted the score at 15-15. The Firebirds looked to break away after scoring four of the next five points to lead 19-16.
The teams then traded three-point runs. After a VU timeout, the Lions tied the score again at 19-19 as Olbur solo stuffed Alexcis Morris.
STK fired right back behind two Cremoux kills and a VU attack error to wrest the lead back at 22-19. But an STK service error doused the momentum, and Bickmore and Dickson followed with kills to even the score again at 22-22.
Cremoux's attack error gave VU a brief 23-22 lead, but she redeemed herself with a kill on the following play to forge a 23-23 tie. Both squads were tied again at 24-24 and 25-25.
Olbur and Bickmore had a huge block on Addison Metts to create match point, and a back set from Lim to Bickmore on the right side produced the final hammer as VU held on for the 27-25 triumph.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions are off to a 5-1 start for the second time in the last three seasons.
What's Next?: The Lions get another shot at a ranked opponent when they play No. 23 Texas Wesleyan at 4:00 p.m. at Darling Pavilion on the Hope International campus. VU defeated No. 20 Southern Oregon last weekend in Ashland, Ore.
