COSTA MESA -- Vanguard University (11-2) swept Biola University (9-5) in straight sets on Saturday at the Freed Center for Leadership and Service, winning 25-23, 25-15, 25-17.  While the matchup did not count towards the Pacific West Conference record for each team, the Lions will happily take back-to-back wins and a huge win in hitting percentage over the Eagles (.351-.146).
 
What Happened? The first set was the closest of the trio and began with Biola jumping to a quick 4-0 lead, including a kill by Kendall Vandertuig, who would end the match tied for the lead in kills with 12.  The Lions responded with a series of points, narrowing the gap to 10-9 after a block by Delaney Hill and Kayla Robinson. A strike by Victoria Dickson leveled things at 10-all, but after a tie at 13-13, VU got kills from Macy Kavanaugh and Adeline Galvanoni to lead 15-13.  Biola kept in contention over the next few rallies, but a 3-0 sprint by the home side that featured kills from Morgan Cole and Hill put VU ahead 19-15.  The Lions upped their lead to 23-17 after that, which included an ace from Abby Lutterloh, yet BU fired back immediately.  The Eagles tightened up the score to 24-23, but Galvanoni thrashed down a strike to give the set 25-23 to Vanguard.  The Lions hit .282 in the opening stanza and Biola had a .136 mark.
 
Set 2
The Lions constructed an early advantage, highlighted by kills from Kayla Robinson and an ace by Payton Darm.  BU errors and a trio of Cole kills slowly extended the lead to 10-5, and the Blue and Gold did not let Biola get close after that.  Two 5-0 runs canceled any BU attempt to regain ground, and the Lions scored six of the final seven points to win the frame 25-15.  BU had a better attacking rate in the set at .158, but VU increased its own success rate to .333 (14K, 1 E).
 
Set 3
The Lions secured a 25-17 victory over Biola in the third set, with a blistering .444 attacking percentage that saw the Lions notch 17 kills with only one error on 36 swings.  Though BU jumped to a 4-2 lead, four unanswered points by Vanguard, which included two kills and a Robinson and Hill combo block, flipped VU in front 6-4.  A 5-0 streak soon followed to put the team up 11-5, with Julia Ringenberg getting a kill on a clever dump.  The advantage grew to 18-10 on a strong strike by Robinson, and the teams exchanged evenly from there, with the Lions winning the match on a powerful swing by Cole.  BU had a.146 rate in the last period.
 
 
Vanguard had a 45-37 lead in kills, a 5-2 edge in blocks, and won the dig category 63-56.  Galvanoni led the Lions, and tied Vandertuig, with 12 kills and hit .276.  Cole smacked away at a .385 clip and had only one error on 26 attempts with 11 kills and led the Lions with 17 digs.  Robinson factored in every VU block (five block assists) and did not have an error while hitting the ball while tallying six kills.  Ringenberg and Kavanaugh each had 14 helpers.  Dickson had 14 digs and five kills without any errors.
 
Why is it Important?  This is the first time that the Lions have swept BU since September 4, 1992, when the Lions won 2-0 (in a best-of-three contest) at a neutral site.  It is also the first time Vanguard has won back-to-back games against the Eagles for the longest known winning streak against BU.  VU is now 12-55 all-time against the Eagles.
 
What was Said?  "Tonight, we were very prepared to take on a tough Biola team," relayed Head Coach Jennifer Dorn.  "Our goal was to create pressure at all costs, and when our offense if firing from all positions, it makes it incredibly difficult to keep up.  I'm so proud of our girls, we keep working on our process and growing our confidence along the way."
 
What's Next?  The Blue and Gold fly to Hawaii for games against Hawaii Hilo and Chaminade, with the Vulcans up first this next Thursday.