COSTA MESA -- Vanguard women's volleyball engaged an old divisional foe in Point Loma on Tuesday night in Pacific West Conference play. While the Lions had a feisty and gritty effort in the second and third sets, it was not enough to get past the fifth-ranked team in the region, as PLNU won 25-12, 25-23, and 25-17. The Sea Lions go to 11-0 overall and 5-0 in PacWest action, while VU drops to 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the league.
Morgan Cole led the Lions with eight kills, one more than
Delaney Hill.
Payton Darm had three block assists to lead VU and the Lions had a 5-3 lead in aces in the contest, highlighted by three from
Rachel Lim.
What Happened? Adeline Galvanoni had the first kill for the Lions in the opening set but things soon went sideways for the Blue and Gold. Point Loma took a 5-2 lead and stretched that into a 13-4 run to put a damper on the first set. Cole had a late kill and Darm had an ace but PLNU easily claimed the set 25-12.
Set 2: VU found a better attacking formula in the second period, as strikes by Galvanoni and Hill helped the Lions to stay on level pegging early on. Vanguard slowly grabbed a slim lead after that, with a kill from
Kayla Robinson and some PLNU errors advancing the edge to 12-9. The Lions maintained a three-point lead through the middle stages of the frame, with Galvanoni pasting down another strike and Cole landing an emphatic kill to keep the Sea Lions in the rear-view mirror. But though VU led 23-20 late in the frame, the lead was not safe enough lead from the visitors, as PLNU rattled off five unanswered points to take a shocking set win 25-23. VU hit .179 in the second, the best rate for the match for the home side.
Set 3: Though Cole had back-to-back kills to put VU in the lead 2-1, that would be the sole advantage the Lions had in the final set. Point Loma used a 9-2 stretch to snag a 10-4 lead, and the Sea Lions would soon double-up VU at 14-7. Kills by Robinson and Cole late in the set were the final offensive statements made by Vanguard, as PLNU completed the sweep with a 25-17 victory.
Madeline DeLucia had 16 assists to lead VU and
Blair Dodge had 12 digs to pace the lineup. Hill had seven kills and only two errors on 14 attempts for a .357 attacking percentage for the match. Robinson had five kills and one error on 11 swings for a .364 mark in the game.
What's Next? VU will rest tomorrow and be back inside the Freed Center on Thursday night for a showdown against Biola slated for 7:00 p.m.
