CALMING THE SEA

Saturday, August 30

Laie, HI

4 p.m.

California Baptist University

BYU-Hawaii

8/31/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

HONOLULU, Hawaii ? It's been four years since California Baptist won its first national title, but 2008 continues to eerily mirror the 2004 season; a team weighted heavily by underclassmen and a start to a season that some didn't anticipate.

After a pair of 3-0 wins over BYU-Hawaii (25-12, 25-12, 25-21) and Hawaii Pacific (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) the Lancers (8-0) tied the 2004 team for the best start under CBU head coach Ryan McGuyre. However this year's team did one thing the 2004 team didn't and that was win 24 straight sets to open the season. In fact no team in school history has opened its season by winning 24 straight sets.

The school record for consecutive sets won is 27 set in 2005 and matched again in 2006.

The Lancers made quick work of the Seasiders in the day's opening contest despite hitting .282 (39-10-103). CBU held BYU-Hawaii to just a .079 clip (26-18-101) as only two Seasiders notched six kills.

Fei Shi led the way with 17 kills and hit a .483 clip and was just one dig short of a double-double with nine. She also had three aces.

Colleen Sweeney ripped 11 kills while Krista Hasemeyer and Mical Bell combined for 37 assists with match-high 25 coming from Hasemeyer. Katrina Clark posted a match-high 11 digs while Rene Simon notched three blocks.

The Lancers blistered BYUH in the first two sets hitting .348 (11-3-23) in the first and .389 (16-2-36) in the second. The Lancers didn't trail in the match until the third set and that was at 3-2. CBU used a 4-0 run to take a 6-3 lead and that was all it needed.

CBU closed out its trip to Hawaii by holding off HPU in a match that featured 28 ties and 14 lead changes.

Shi led the way with a season-high 21 kills and made it a double-double with 11 digs. Noelle Dyk chimed in with a double-double of her own with 10 kills and 10 digs. Clark posted a season-high 18 digs while Sweeney and Simon each posted a trio of blocks.

CBU controlled the opening set from start to finish, but had to battle from behind on more than one occasion in the second set. The Lancers took the lead for good in the midst of a 5-1 run that closed out the set.

The Lancers trailed 21-20 before Sweeney tied it at 21 with a kill. Dyk then ripped a pair of kills to give CBU a 23-21 lead and forced a Sea Warrior's time out. HPU cut it to 23-22 before Dyk settled it with back-to-back kills to give CBU a 2-0 match lead. Shi notched a pair of late kills in the final set to rack up another win for the Lancers.

The Lancers now return to the mainland to get set for the home opener when they host NCAA Division II Cal Poly Pomona, Friday, at 7 p.m. The Broncos will enter Van Dyne Gym for the first time in school history. It will also be the 2008 debut for the Lancer broadcast team as the match will be webcasted live on cbulancers.com.