ROAD BLOCK
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — California Baptist University ran its home winning streak to eight straight with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-11) win over No. 10 Vanguard.
Noelle Dyk and
Ingrid Carmona led the way for CBU (23-2, 13-2 GSAC) with 21 combined kills. Dyk ripped a match-high 11 and had three digs and two aces to add to her totals.
Fei Shi was just two kills shy of a double-double with eight to go with her 12 digs.
Krista Hasemeyer dished out a match-high 18 assists and added seven digs.
Danielle Sargant also had 12 assists.
Kari Oliver had eight digs for CBU while
Bree Rauschenbach had six blocks and three aces.
Melinda Adelin tied a career-high with five blocks and chipped in nine kills as well.
The win over the Lions (15-9, 9-6 GSAC) avenged an earlier upset in Costa Mesa, Calif., in September where Vanguard took the Lancers the distance, winning in five sets. It was also the seventh straight win for CBU, the longest of the conference season.
“Defensively we were prepared this time around unlike when we went down to their place,” said CBU head coach Ryan McGuyre. “We have been playing smarter the second half of the season and Vanguard really struggled tonight.”
Dyk lifted the Lancers in the first set as they never trailed. Dyk had six kills while hitting .300 in the set. CBU led 11-7 midway through the set when it went on a 10-4 run, capped by a Dyk kill, to lead 21-11. Carmona gave CBU set point at 24-12 with a kill, but the Lions fired back with three straight to make it 24-15. Dyk put an end to the late run and with a kill that closed out the set.
Despite being held to just a .231 (15-6-39) clip, CBU held Vanguard to just a .054 (10-8-37) clip in the second set. The Lancers had four in the set and trailed just once at 1-0. After the Lions scored the first point,
Colleen Sweeney, Carmona and Shi ripped consecutive kills to lead 3-1. Vanguard worked back to tie the set at 6-6. Adelin then blasted a kill to score the first of seven straight points as CBU climbed out to a 13-6 lead. CBU took its biggest lead of the set at 18-9 before the Lions used a 5-0 run to cut it to 18-14. Vanguard got within four at 22-18, but a Shi kill and a pair of Lion errors put CBU up 2-0 in the match.
The Lancers jumped out to a 6-2 lead to start the third set, but the Lions got back within two at 7-5. CBU answered, scoring seven straight to lead 14-5. The Lancers pushed the run out to 17-4 to take a 24-9 lead before the Lions scored two straight, but that was all they could muster. Sweeney put the game away with the final kill.
“Our blocking has been key lately,” said McGuyre. “Teams will play more tentative once you block them a couple of times. That was the case tonight. They didn't fear our block last time and swung as hard as they could. We had to keep Kelsey Wirt in check. We have to key in on certain players and be affective against them. She had the most potential to cause damage.”
Wirt who had 23 kills the last time these two teams played, was held to just three kills and a -.179 hitting percentage in the loss to CBU.
The Lancers now hit the road for the next week and when CBU returns back to Van Dyne Gym Nov. 7 it will host No. 1 Fresno Pacific. The home winning streak will be put the test in the next two matches with the NAIA's top-ranked Sunbirds and NCAA Division II No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino paying a visit to Riverside Nov. 12.
