COSTA MESA  -- Vanguard women's volleyball picked up a quality win at home against the Warriors of Jessup on Friday night, as VU picked off a top-four team in the standings.  The Lions claimed the first two sets of the match 25-18 and 25-23 before JU nabbed set three 25-21.  Despite trailing in the fourth, the Blue and Gold closed out the period on a 9-2 run to grab set four 25-21 and the contest 3-1.  The Lions improve to 11-11 overall and 8-10 in the Pacific West Conference, while JU drops to 12-10, 8-7.
 
Both starting outside hitters for VU led the way, as Morgan Cole and Adeline Galvanoni had 13 kills apiece.  As a team, the Lions had an advantage in aces (4-1) and blocks (8-4) in the match.
 
What Happened?  The Lions tore through the opening stages of the first set, with Madeline DeLucia pocketing an ace to start the match.  Cole added her first kill after that and two JU errors had VU up 4-0 rapidly.  While the teams exchanged points over the next few rallies, the Lions got kills from Alister Borabo, Bailey Olbur, and three from Galvanoni for an 8-2 stretch to net a 16-8 lead.  Jessup found a few points towards the end of the set, but a kill from Delaney Hill and a bad set by the Warriors allowed Vanguard to take set one 25-18.  The Lions hit .163 and JU hit .081.
 
Set 2: Jessup had the first two points of the second period, but Olbur and two JU errors put VU ahead 3-2.  Neither team could extend a lead beyond two points until kills by Hill and Cole helped Vanguard stake down a 17-14 edge.  The lead remained around three points until JU slashed away with a 5-1 hot streak to steal a 23-22 lead.  However, an error tied things up and an ace from Rachel Lim put the Blue and Gold up 24-23.  Kayla Robinson slammed down the final kill of the set to give VU the 25-23 decision.  VU hit .178 in the second and JU had a .214 rate.
 
Set 3: The Lions delivered a 3-1 lead to start the third frame but JU soon tied the score at 3-3.  Vanguard and Jessup slugged it out from there like armies in line of battle, with the score tied 14 more times as the set progressed.  Knotted at 17-all, the next two points went to Jessup and that tilted the set in the favor of the Warriors, who ended up outscoring VU 8-4 to secure set three 25-21.  Jessup hit a match-high .250 in the third, while VU was at a .219 mark.
 
Set 4: The Warriors appeared to be back in form, but the Lions stepped up to the challenge, resulting in another close scoreline throughout the fourth.  Cole pounded down three early kills to put the home side up 3-1 before JU rolled off the next five points to jump ahead 6-3.  A quick 3-0 spurt from the Lions, which included another Cole hammer, soon tied things at 6-6.  The two sides were squared up four more times until JU swiped a 14-12 edge of four kills over five rallies.  Jessup remained in the front of the line until Borabo and Galvanoni nailed precision shots to knot the score at 19-19.  Borabo had the next kill and a heavy hit by Galvanoni followed to send the Lions ahead 22-20.  JU tacked on one final kill but Olbur and Galvanoni bashed down strikes to give Vanguard the 25-21 victory.  The Blue and Gold had a team-best .239 hitting percentage in the fourth and held JU to a .130 rate.
 
The Lions had a .199 attack percentage in the contest and JU had a .166 mark.  Madalyn Miller had the best night out of all the attackers, as she paced the field with 21 kills.  Galvanoni had a .379 hitting rate with only two errors on 29 attempts.  Olbur had eight kills and one error on 20 swings (.350) and led all players with three solo blocks and four block assists.  DeLucia had 25 assists and paced all players with two aces.  Rachel Lim had 16 helpers, Blair Dodge led the Lions with 18 digs, and Cole finished second with 16.
 
What was said?  "Tonight was a consistent match from us all around," said Head Coach Jennifer Dorn.  "We've been talking about putting early pressure on our opponents in the first set and we set the tone for ourselves.  In set four, we made a decision during our second timeout to make a push and make a few adjustments that worked well in our favor.  Our serve receive did a fantastic job tonight, allowing our setters and offense to take shape.  Truly a competitive match all the way around."

Why is it Important?  The Lions have now won three in a row over JU.
 
What's Next?  VU will have the shortest road trip of the year next, as the Lions travel eight miles to CUI next Wednesday, November 20, for a 7:00 p.m. match.