SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- For the first time since 2009, Vanguard women's volleyball defeated the Sea Lions of Point Loma Nazarene on Wednesday night, potentially ending PLNU's chance at the regular season title.  Despite losing the first set 25-16, the Lions confidently stepped through the next three periods to win 25-22, 25-18, and 25-17.  VU improved to 17-8 overall, 5-6 in Pacific West Conference play, while the Sea Lions dropped to 21-3, 9-1.
 
 
What Happened?  Vanguard began the first set by overcoming an initial deficit, with Payton Darm securing the first point for the visitors via a slam down the middle. Now on the board, the Lions tied the score at 5-5 after capitalizing on an attack error and a kill from Morgan Cole. Despite this early surge, the Sea Lions managed to edge ahead and kept that advantage as the set progressed.  Though Cole and Kayla Robinson contributed kills, the gap was soon 21-12.  While the Lions did register a service ace from Cole and a kill by Delaney Hill, PLNU secured the set 25-16.  VU hit .027 in the first, while Point Loma had a team-best .290 rate.
 
Set 2: The Blue and Gold began the second set by quickly knotting the score at 2-2.  Darm registered a slam, and Adeline Galvanoni and Robinson combined for a block, helping the Lions to keep pace early in the early stages.  As the set progressed, Vanguard traded points with Point Loma, with Hill and Abigayle Gotwals stepping up for big rejections and kills. The two squads slowly walked the score up, but Vanguard surged ahead late in the frame by capitalizing on some PLNU mistakes.  Cole and Gotwals delivered consecutive kills, and more miscues by Point Loma allowed the Lions to establish a 21-18 lead. Galvanoni and Cole put the final three VU strikes to the deck as the Lions secured the second set with a 25-22 victory.  VU had a .220 attacking rating in the frame, with Point Loma hitting .115.
 
Set 3: The Lions opened the third set with a strong defensive stance, as Galvanoni and Darm combined for a block. Gotwals then delivered a service ace, contributing to a quick 4-1 lead for the Lions. Despite Point Loma's efforts to narrow the margin, Vanguard maintained pressure on the hosts, with Galvanoni, Cole, and Robinson tallying kills. Vanguard continued to take mistakes by Point Loma, including three in five rallies, and along with a  Darm ace and a Robinson snipe, the Lions fended off the Sea Lions through the middle stages.  In the final stretch, Vanguard extended its lead, with Hill and Galvanoni doing a lot of the damage, resulting in VU securing the frame 25-18.  PLNU had a -.022 attack rate in the third, while the Lions had a .176 clip.
 
Set 4: Vanguard started the fourth set with significant energy, with Julia Ringenberg getting the first kill. An ace by Macy Kavanaugh and a short 4-2 burst allowed the Lions to widen the gap to a 10-7 lead.  The team maintained an edge of around two points until Hill put the Blue and Gold ahead 13-11.  Her kill shot sparked a 7-1 run that sent the Lions ahead 19-12, with Gotwals landing two kills and Cole slotting home an ace during that spell.  The squad got a solo block and a block assist from Darm as the set came to a close, and a trio of kills by Cole allowed the Lions to bag the set 25-17 and the match 3-1. The Lions had a match-best .429 efficiency rating in the fourth, with 15 kills and three errors on 28 swings, while PLNU hit .000.
 
The Lions hit .200 for the contest and held the Sea Lions to a .091 mark.  VU won all the team categories except aces, as each team had seven.  The biggest edge for VU was blocks, as the Lions led at the net 12-4.  Cole had 13 kills to lead all players and netted 10 digs for another double-double.  Hill had one of her best hitting games in her career at .526, as she tallied 11 kills on 19 swings with only one error.  Robinson was third with nine kills.  Darm had two aces, the only solo block on the team, and a match-high seven block assists.    Both Galvanoni and Hill had four block assists each.  Kavanaugh had 23 assists and Ringenberg had 18 helpers, while Kate Fagundes paced all players with 19 digs. 
 
Why is it Important?  The Sea Lions still have to play undefeated Fresno Pacific, so they could still sneak away with a title.  But it does put some worry in PLNU.  This match was the 14th win for VU over PLNU and ends an eight-game losing streak against the Sea Lions. 
 
What was Said?  "I couldn't be more proud of our team executing the mission," said Head Coach Jennifer Dorn.  "We've been focused on defense and leaving our heart out there on the floor.  We played each point for what it was without getting ahead of ourselves or lingering in the past.  Tonight was a full team effort, from the bench to the floor.  We were united and purposeful.  I'm especially proud of how we executed from the service line.  That's a big win for us.
 
What's Next?  The Lions host CUI on Friday night at 7:30 p.m., with the senior day festivities starting around 7:25 p.m.