COSTA MESA – Junior Morgan Cole delivered 20 kills and 23 digs to propel Vanguard women's volleyball to a scintillating five-set victory over local rival CUI on Thursday in the Freed Center.

Set scores were 27-25, 22-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-12 as the Lions climbed above the .500 mark in moving to 10-9 overall, 7-8 in the PacWest Conference.

Cole posted her first career 20-kill, 20-dig double-double in a masterful performance, which also included two assists, an ace and five blocks. She hit .279 (20-8-43), her highest hitting percentage since a .296 mark against Westcliff on September 14.

The Lions brought a powerful block against the Golden Eagles. Five Lions had at least three blocks as they won the statistical team battle – 13.0 to 8.0. Sophomore Kayla Robinson registered a match-best seven blocks to go along with seven kills.

Junior Adeline Galvanoni notched 13 kills on .263 (13-3-38) hitting. Alister Borabo and Bailey Olbur chipped in seven kills apiece, while Delaney Hill added six.

In addition to Cole's 23 digs – three off her career-high – Madeline DeLucia added 15 digs to go along with 28 assists and three aces. It was her ninth double-double of the season.

VU fired off 12 service aces, including a career-high tying six from setter Rachel Lim, who added 18 assists and seven digs to her stat line.

Blair Dodge tallied 13 digs to secure her 14th match with double-digits this season.

The Lions moved to 3-0 in five-set matches after also going the distance on the road against Westmont (Sept. 26) and Fresno Pacific (Oct. 14).

Kayden Croy led the Golden Eagles (14-10, 9-7) with 16 kills and 17 digs.

What Happened?

Set 1 – The two sides slogged through 13 ties before going to extra points to declare a winner. CUI's 4-0 run gave the visitors a 10-8 lead before three straight kills from Cole tied the score at 14-14.

Back-to-back aces from Lim gave VU a 16-14 advantage. The Lions maintained a two-point lead at 20-18 following Hill's kill. The Lions used a 5-1 win to extend the lead to 23-19 as Borabo, Cole and Olbur found the hardwood on consecutive plays.

But the Golden Eagles responded with a 4-0 run to tie the set at 23-23. Two more ties occurred before VU ended the set on a kill from Robinson and Cole's solo stuff on Croy.

Set 2 – The Lions were in control early, but a couple of big runs by CUI ultimately derailed the Blue and Gold.

VU held leads of 5-1 and 8-2 as Cole, Galvanoni and Olbur each had two kills. The Golden Eagles clawed back on a 7-1 run to knot the score at 9-9, as the Lions endured a series of miscues. Robinson and Cole teamed up to block Kennedy Farley to retake the lead, and Cole's ace created an 11-9 VU advantage.

The Lions held steady at 15-12, but CUI reeled off seven straight points – three off kills from Croy – to grab a 19-15 lead.

CUI maintained its advantage the remainder of the set despite VU getting as close as 21-20. The Golden Eagles withstood VU, getting to set point on a kill from Caitlin Jarrell. A VU service error finished off the set 25-22 in favor of CUI.

Set 3 – VU hit a match-high .324 (16-5-34) in the set compared to .133 (8-4-30) for CUI.

For the second straight set, the Lions jumped out to a 5-1 lead. Cole had three kills to stake VU to an 8-3 advantage.

CUI was unable to mount a significant run this time around. The Golden Eagles climbed within three points at 12-9 and 14-11 and 15-12, but the Lions put together a 5-0 push to run away. 

Cole's back-to-back putaways opened up a 20-12 Lion lead, and the Blue and Gold finished off the 25-17 win on an Olbur kill.

Set 4 – CUI responded by hitting .303 (14-4-33) to sneak away with a 25-23 triumph.

Eight ties signaled a back-and-forth affair as the teams touched 9-9 in the early going. Two consecutive DeLucia aces helped the Lions build an 11-9 lead. The home side ultimately stretched the lead to 17-13, but the Golden Eagles answered with a 5-1 run to create an 18-18 deadlock.

VU went back up 22-20 on an Olbur ace, but CUI scored the next four points to hit set point. VU staved off one set point on a Robinson kill, but Jarrell sent one down on the next play to lead CUI to the 25-23 triumph.

Set 5 – VU led wire-to-wire to earn the 15-12 win in a winner-take-all showdown.  The Lions set the tone immediately as Galvanoni and Olbur stuffed Delaney Gregg and Farley on consecutive plays.

Olbur and Cole roofed Croy to give the Lions a 5-3 lead, and a 4-0 VU run opened up a 9-4 edge. Lim had a pair of important aces to push the Lions toward victory.

Two service errors and a hitting error derailed a CUI comeback as the Lions maintained a 13-8 lead. CUI briefly rallied with three straight points to get within 13-11, but another service error got VU to match point.

The Golden Eagles withstood one match points, but a CUI attack error sealed the win for VU. Both teams struggled in set five with CUI hitting .000 (5-5-21) and VU -.118 (4-6-17).

What's Next?: The Lions continue a five-match homestand with a 3:00 p.m. match against Hawaii Hilo on Saturday.