HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – Vanguard beach volleyball Head Coach Kris Dorn earned his 100th career victory on Saturday at the Brookhurst and PCH Courts as the Lions defeated Cal State LA (5-0) and Hope International (3-2).
The win over Cal State LA marked the 100th for the eighth-year mentor, who led the Blue and Gold to back-to-back NAIA national championships prior to this season being the first foray onto an NCAA Division II platform.
In defeating HIU, the Lions extended their winning streak to six straight, giving Dorn an overall career record of 101-73.
The Vanguard twos, threes and fours posted 2-0 records on the day. It was the second straight morning that the Lions – now 8-3 on the season – upended the Golden Eagles.Â
Vanguard 5, Cal State LA 0
The Golden Eagles gave the Lions a fight, taking two of the matches to three sets and going deep into one of the sets at the fours.
On the fours court, Cassie Smits Van Oyen and Gianna Pecile eventually outlasted Rebecca Topete and Rebeca Marquez with a 22-20, 21-14 decision.Â
Paige Cutwright and Madison Arnold dropped the first set, but overcame the deficit in downing Samarah DeCoud and Jameson Sanders in an 18-21, 21-16, 19-17 battle at the twos.
Armed with a 2-0 lead, the Lions clinched the team win at the fives, as Logan Daniels and Natalie Hill won in straight sets over Arielle Chandler and Karina Talavera. The scores went 21-13, 21-16.
The VU top pair of Thea Snider and Emma Galloway made quick work of Juliana Speiski and McKinley Chase in a 21-13, 21-11 victory.
Going the full three sets was the No. 3 pair of Katie Alexander and Anne Mayfield, who collected the 21-19, 16-21, 16-14 victory over Zuhal Cetin and Tehya Chadwick.
Cal State LA dropped to 2-5 on the season.
Vanguard 3, Hope International 2
A former foe from the Golden State Athletic Conference, Hope International had designs on an upset for the second straight match over the Blue and Gold. The Royals upset the Lions last season.
The Lions looked in great shape as they took an early 2-0 lead.
Cutwright and Arnold notched a win at the two, winning with identical 21-12, 21-12 scores over Brandi Ramirez and Emma Pearson. The fours pair followed with Smits Van Oyen and Pecile handing Maleia Petered and Dani Sanchez a 21-11, 22-20 defeat.
But the Royals grabbed a point when Sabrina Galassi and Addie Mathias knocked off the VU ones, posting a 21-15, 21-14 triumph over Snider and Galloway.
HIU nearly made it two straight points, taking the first set over Alexander and Mayfield. But the Lion No. 3 tandem recovered and Tok down Rachael Street and Carmelina Infante by scores of 19-21, 22-20, 15-10.
The team win in tow, the final match occurred on the No. 5 court. HIU's Phoebe Sebby and Maci Hendry defeated Daniels and Hill 21-18, 21-14.
What Was Said?: "It's a rare opportunity that you get to play the same opponent a day apart," said Dorn. "We stepped into challenges of finding different things that worked for us or against them. Proud of our athletes for pushing through. Against Hope, we always battle down to the wire and this was no exception. It came down to a point-for-point third set at the three seed to determine the winners. It was great to be home for the weekend and now back to refining in practice."
