SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- It was a five-set affair Wednesday night in Santa Barbara for Vanguard women's volleyball, but the team prevailed over the Westmont Warriors.  The Lions dominated set one 25-11, and though Westmont won the next two frames 25-19 and 26-24, VU conquered the final two sets 25-20 and 15-13 to take the win.  The Lions, with two wins in a row, improved to 13-3, and WC dropped to 7-10.
 
What Happened?  Vanguard opened the first set with steady play, overcoming an initial service error with two blasts by Adeline Galvanoni.  Morgan Cole and Galvanoni each contributed kills over the next few rallies, and Cole and Kayla Robinson teamed up for a combination block to put VU up 7-3. The Lions continued to play at a high clip as they rolled out a 6-2 stretch to snag a 13-5 lead.  Delaney Hill and Abigayle Gotwals netted kills as the frame moved along, and a joint block by Robinson and Galvanoni pushed the score to 21-9. Macy Kavanaugh and Cole put down kills to close out the first, with the Lions winning 25-11.  It was a flawless set for the Blue and Gold, who hit .636 with 14 kills on 22 swings.  Westmont was relegated to a -0.057 rate.
 
Set 2
Early in the set, Cole contributed three kills for the Lions to put the squad ahead, though Westmont answered with some points to take a 6-4 edge.  Vanguard rallied with slams from Payton Darm and Gotwals, and two ties ensued over the next few rallies.  However, after being tied at 10-10, WC slowly extended their lead to 19-14 with a 5-1 stretch.  Despite a late push by the Lions, including kills by Galvanoni and Hill, Westmont secured the set with a final point from an attack error.  The Warriors hit .438 in the interval, while VU had a .250 mark.
 
Set 3
After Westmont grabbed the first two points, Galvanoni and Cole swung the Blue and Gold to a 3-2 lead, but WC replied with a 5-1 streak to go ahead 7-4.  While Westmont took a three-point lead, a couple of blocks between Hill, Darm, and Gotwals, brought VU level at 12-all, and four ties occurred over the next few stages.  Despite the close exchange, the Lions ran into trouble ahead 21-19, as Westmont collected seven of the next 10 points to steal the period 26-24.  VU hit .164 and Westmont had a .140 rate.
 
Set 4
The Warriors again grabbed the first pair of points, but a kill from Galvanoni and an ace for Darm soon had VU on level terms.  A hammer by Robinson and an ace by Cole gave VU a 7-4 advantage, and the squad maintained a small gap to a 12-9 lead.  Yet from there, a 6-0 run by the Blue and Gold put the set mostly away, with Cole and Robinson getting kills and Julia Ringenberg tallying an ace.  Up 22-13, Westmont put Vanguard on edge with a 6-1 streak, but a service error handed the frame to VU 25-20.  The Lions hit .175 and Westmont had a .200 rate.
 
Set 5
Kavanaugh opened the deciding set with an ace, and while WC scored the next four points, Vanguard had a rebuttal.  Snipes by Galvanoni and Darm, along with an ace by Abby Lutterloh, soon had the Lions ahead 5-4, and the squad did not trail until a 4-0 run by WC put the hosts up 13-12.  Hill countered with a roll-shot to reset the lineup, and back-to-back blocks by Galvanoni and Darm secured the match for the Lions.  The Lions had a .176 attack rate in the fifth, with Westmont hitting .000.
 
Vanguard had a .247 swing rate for the match, with Westmont at a .152 clip.  The Lions won all the team stats, including a 14-7 lead in blocks and a 78-65 advantage in digs.  Cole was dynamic again, as she recorded 19 kills for the second straight game.  In addition, she made 19 digs Wednesday night for a double-double, as she led all players in kills and tied Kate Fagundes with a match-high in digs.  Galvanoni was next with 16 kills, but with only two errors on 34 swings, the senior hit .412 on the night, her best mark since opening night.  Gotwals set a season-high with 11 kills.  Kavanaugh had 29 helpers, with Ringenberg registering 24, though Ringenberg tied Cole for the team lead with two aces and had 10 digs for a double-double.  Robinson led all players with seven total blocks, with Galvanoni next with six.
 
Why is it Important?  Vanguard has now won three in a row over WC, the first time that has happened since the Lions won six-straight over 2013-15.
 
What was Said?  "I'm so proud of our girls fighting against a tough Westmont side," relayed Head Coach Jennifer Dorn.  "Coming off our Hawaii trip with some crazy delays and challenges, turning around for another W on the road shows grit.  Proud of our ladies for digging deep and making some good adjustments in this match.  We came out strong from the service line to start the match and set the tone in set one.  Always fun to win a five-set match!"
 
What's Next?  Fresno Pacific plays at APU tomorrow night, as they put their undefeated record on the line again.  But win or lose, the Sunbirds are coming to the Freed Center Friday night at 5:00 p.m.