COSTA MESA -- A home doubleheader for Vanguard women's volleyball ended in a pair of victories Friday.  The Lions lost set one to CSU Monterey Bay but swept the next six sets overall, beating the Otters 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-21) and the Warriors of Stanislaus 3-0 (25-18, 28-26, 25-22).  The Lions improved to 4-1 and set CSUMB to 1-4 and Stanislaus to 1-5.  The third set saw senior Morgan Cole collect her 1,000th kill as a Lion, and after getting her 1,000th dig last weekend, Cole becomes one of just four known VU players in program history with at least 1,000 kills and digs.
 
 
What Happened?  Vanguard opened with a 5-0 run against Cal St. Monterey Bay, highlighted by two kills from Morgan Cole and contributions from Adeline Galvanoni. Despite the early advantage, Cal St. Monterey Bay responded with a series of blocks and kills to level the score at 10-10. The set remained tightly contested, with five ties over the middle stages of the period.  Delaney Hill registered a trio of kills towards the late stages of the internal, but despite that and a block from Galvanoni and Kayla Robinson to cut the score to 23-24, the visitors ultimately edged out a 25-23 victory after a decisive kill by Malia Thorne.
 
Set 2: Macy Kavanaugh was instrumental for the Lions in the middle frame, contributing two service aces and assisting on some of the team's 13 kills, as VU hit .282 in the period.  After another opening run (4-0), this time VU did not let the Otters force a tie.  Galvanoni and Payton Darm each tallied three kills, helping the Lions maintain a slight edge throughout the set. CSUMB closed to two points on a couple of occasions, but the Lions' consistent pressure and timely plays negated any long run.  After opening the period with an ace, Kavanaugh sinched the period with another one to give the Lions a 25-21 win.  CSUMB hit .220
 
Set 3:  The Otters scored first, but the Blue and Gold surged ahead behind a kill from Darm and an ace by Dickson.  The magic moment for Cole came when she thumped down a shot down the sideline to put VU ahead 4-3, putting her in rare company in the VU history book.  Tied at 7-7, a rapid 3-0 burst by the Lions paved the way for a lead that would not be relinquished, with a Galvanoni strike peaking the advantage at 17-10.  The Otters closed the deficit to 21-19, but Hill pocketed four kills over the final five rallies to hand the Lions set three 25-20.  The Lions capitalized on Cal St. Monterey Bay's errors, with seven points coming from attack errors, while also contributing three service aces to maintain their edge throughout the set.  VU hit a match-best .298, while CSUMB hit .085.
 
Set 4:  The score bounced between the two sides early in the fourth, with five ties and no more than one point separating the squads.  A kill from Dickson and a CSUMB mistake put the Lions up 9-7, but the Otters got back-to-back kills later on to snag an 11-10 edge.  But after a kill from Dickson tied things at 11-all, the Blue and Gold rattled off six of the next seven points to take a 16-12 lead. The entire front row contributed to the assault, as the Otters never found a way back into the contest, with Vanguard taking the frame 25-21.  VU hit .238 and VSUMB had a .200 rate.
 
The Lions hit .227 for the match and held the Otters to a .146 rate.  Galvanoni hit .448 and led the Lions with 14 kills with one error on 29 swings, with Hill next with 12 kills.  Cole had 11 strikes, while Kavanaugh had 22 assists and Julia Ringenberg had 17.  Kate Fagundes had a match-high 14 digs and Robinson had four block assists to pace Vanguard. 
 
VU 3  Stanislaus 0
Vanguard took an early lead against Stanislaus via a 4-0 run that included a kill by Darm and a block from Darm and Dickson. Kavanaugh was able to hit her marks in the early going, highlighted by a thumping kill by Cole, which increased the Lions' lead to 8-2. Despite a brief push by the Warriors, the VU lead was not in jeopardy at 19-12. Galvanoni and Cole added in the final points in the set, helping the Lions secure a 25-18 victory.  VU hit .143 in the first and Stanislaus had a .075 mark in the stanza.
 
Set 2:  The teams exchanged points intensely, with neither able to sustain a significant lead, resulting in five ties in the early goings.  Stanislaus snuck out to a 10-6 edge, but the Lions quickly responded, fueled by a couplet of service aces from Dickson and a Galvanoni kill that tied the score at 10-10. As the set progressed, both teams traded leads and errors, with 13 ties leading to a 25-25 score.  But the Blue and Gold responded with a strong ending, with Dickson, Galvanoni, and Hill scoring three of the final four points to secure a 28-26 victory.  The Warriors had a team-high .267 hitting percentage, a better mark than VU's .239.
 
Set 3:  The set began with both teams exchanging service errors and attack errors, maintaining a close scoreline. The Warriors eked out a three-point gap, but a pair of blocks by the Lions helped to tie things at 11-11.  Cole then slapped down three consecutive kills that pushed Vanguard ahead 14-12. As the set continued, Hill and Dickson added crucial kills to maintain a narrow scoreline.  With the score tied at 22-22, Ringenberg's service ace and Hill's timely kill helped the Lions close the set with three straight points, sealing the sweep.  Vanguard concluded the period with a .220 hitting rate, keeping Stanislaus in check to a .059 rate.
 
Vanguard hit .205 in the contest and Stanislaus had a .143 percentage in the nightcap.  Galvanoni had 10 kills to lead all players and Cole was right behind with nine kills and 10 digs.  Robinson also had nine kills.  Both Ringenberg and Kvanaugh had 18 assists and Dickson had a match-high 15 digs.  Nevaeh Mendez added in two digs in her collegiate debut.
 
What's Next?  The Lions play UT Permian Basin and CSU Dominguez Hills tomorrow.