California Baptist University
The Master's University (Calif.)
LANCER WIN HAS IT ALL
9/19/2006 7:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The NAIA's 2-time defending champion California Baptist had absolutely no trouble with The Master's in the match's opening set, winning 30-8, but then had to pick up the pieces following a 28-30 defeat in game 2.
A season-high .593 (18-2-27) hitting percentage in game 3 got the Lancers back on the right track, as they went on to win the final 2 sets by scores of 30-9 and 30-23.
California Baptist, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA, improves to 14-1 (5-0 in GSAC), while the Mustangs drop to 5-9, including a 2-3 mark in conference play.
The Lancers started off game one on an incredible run, and jumped out to an 11-0 advantage thanks to a pair of service aces by Caitlin Parker and 3 kills from Verania Willis, who finished with 5 kills in the first game.
California Baptist served up 7 aces and swatted 14 kills against just one error on a combined 24 opening-set swings for a .542 percentage. Angela Willis posted 3 straight aces in a rally that brought the game one score to 17-2.
If the opening game was a sweet dream for the Lancers, game 2 was, well, not quite as pleasant. While California Baptist hit .303 as a team, the squad was blocked 3 times by the Mustangs, who sprinted out to a 28-22 lead before closing it out at 30-28.
A pair of aces from Parker early on in game 3 put the Lancers right back on the warpath, as the home team led 11-2 before the Mustangs earned their first point of the game, with a kill by Rachel Roleder, who finished with a team-high 16 kills on the night.
The Lancers cruised throughout the rest of game 3, where they hit a season-high .593 (18-2-27) and posted drove home an additional 5 service aces to bring the running tally up to 13 after the first trio of games.
Shi Fei turned in 5 kills in the finale, as California Baptist nailed down the win with a .306 (16-5-36) showing. The Master's had the game tied at 21-21, but Verania Willis ripped a kill to inaugurate a 9-2 match-ending run, highlighted by Fei's kill to end it at 30-23.
Despite being out-blocked, 7-6, by the Mustangs, the Lancers held their opponent to a .000 hitting percentage in the first and third games in the win.
Lindsey Siefken hit an incredible .643 (10-1-14), while Verania Willis finished with a game-high 22 kills. Shi Fei chipped in 13 kills and a .417 clip in the win. Katrina Clark also had 17 digs while Parker notched 40 assists, 9 digs and 5 aces.
