ATHERTON, Calif. – On the second day of a back-to-back, women's volleyball clutched a much-needed 3-1 win over Menlo (25-16, 25-16, 19-25, 25-16) to gain ground in the Pacific West Conference standings. The net dominance from last night's win over Dominican continued, as the Lions tied their season high in block assists, outpacing Menlo 24-6.

VU spring to 15-5, 3-4 in the league, making for a crucial November schedule on the way to bridge the gap for a top four finish. Menlo (7-12, 3-5) loses the final match of a five-game homestand and drops one place behind Vanguard in the middle of the standings.

The Saturday victory at Haynes Prim Pavilion was a well-balanced one for the Blue and Gold, as five players had eight or more kills. They also hit .297 (54-16-128) while halting Menlo to a conference low .107 (37-24-121).

Morgan Cole led the Lions with 12 kills, 17 digs, four blocks, and three aces. Cole hit .276 and piled her 11th double-double of the season and 48th in her career.

The senior pairing of Viktoria Dickson and Adeline Galvanoni each hit over .200 to net nine kills each. Delaney Hill and Kayla Robinson were another VU pair to square off with identical kill totals at eight kills apiece. The opposite hitter tied a career-best five digs set in 2023 and also went for four block assists. Robinson had six blocks and also returned to the +.400 club, tacking on just one error as she hit .438 (8-1-16).

Payton Darm matched Robinson's game-high six blocks, while also adding six kills of her own. Macy Kavanaugh was the primary playmaker, with the match-high 26 assists.

What Happened? Four ties and two lead changes statistically marked the flow of the opening frame. Kavanaugh took little time to collect her 21st ace of the season, as she converted for the ace on the first serve of the game. Two MC errors and the first points from Cole and Robinson brought VU up to their fifth point.

The Oaks did lead briefly at 6-5, but the Lions ballooned into a 7-4 run to keep Menlo chasing. VU added three aces during the push, with two from Cole and one from Abby Lutterloh. Darm also fired down a pair of kills from the front row. VU were up by six (15-9 VU) after two more Menlo errors, and the Lions sped away in the final phase of the set with an 8-2 run.

The Lions finished with five service aces in set one, which was coincidentally the most since set one against the Oaks earlier in the season, in a 3-0 VU win on September 19.

Set 2- Menlo did slightly improve on their .069 (9-7-29) rate from the first set, but never took the lead against the Lions.

Cole went for the first kill of the set, followed by a Robinson finish, a Menlo miscue, and Julia Ringenberg's ace for a 4-1 VU scoreline. The Oaks shot back on a 3-0 burst to level the tally, but VU returned the favor courtesy of Robinson and Dickson as the Lions roared back on a 7-3 response to go up 11-7.

Galvanoni got going from the right pin to hoist the Lions onward. Menlo attack errors proved untimely, as VU stacked their lead through consecutive kills from Hill, Darm, and Dickson to steer the Blue and Gold into the red zone. Up 21-16, Vanguard did not surrender a rally for the remainder of the set, with Dickson's serving run sparking a 4-0 VU finish, capped off by Darm's driving strike, which danced off the top of the net.

Set 3 – Both teams hit .129, but it was VU who committed their match-high seven attack errors to ultimately drop the set. The third stanza was also the only period Menlo won the serving duel, leading VU 4-1 in aces.

Menlo was up 3-1 early, which included a hard-hitting ace. Galvanoni went for back-to-back kills, one going cross-court from the left and the other a powerfully planted strike from the right pin. VU struggled to stay in the system, giving Menlo sharp looks in attack, as the Oaks clipped their second ace of the set to go up 6-5.

VU pulled a point back from a Menlo service error, but the Oaks took command with a 7-1 run to go up 13-7. A VU pair of points from Hill's pin hit and Lutterloh's next ace offered a moment to settle back in, but the Oaks were back in rhythm with a 4-2 rebuttal. The Lions never came closer than five points in the final 10 rallies of the set.  

Set 4- The Blue and Gold were a blistering .405 (16-1-37) in the fourth set while Menlo remained at their .129 rate from the previous frame.

The Oaks had the first two points, but Cole was rampant from the outside to give the Lions the lead. She converted on a wide variety of shots, including well-placed hits to the back row and power strikes from the left to pick up five Vanguard kills and put the Lions up 6-5.

VU's next four points were split with two MC errors and a kill from Dickson and a Robinson swing from the middle to go up 11-9. Galvanoni's kill prompted the run which ultimately secured the win. The Lions went for a 6-1 run, with kills from Galvanoni, Darm, and a third ace from Lutterloh (15-9 VU). VU kept the Oaks at bay and breached past the 20-point margin through Kayla Henniger, closing out the win with a 5-1 run.

What's Next? VU hosts nationally ranked Point Loma on Thursday, October 30, at 7 pm. The Freed Center fixture marks Costume Night for students and the final non-conference match of the season.