California Baptist University
Southwestern Assemblies of God University (Texas)
Surge To The Semis
12/2/2011 10:56:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Lancers defeated Southwestern Assemblies of God 3-0 (25-17, 21-25, 25-12, 25-13) in the opener to clinch the Pool A win as the only team at 3-0. The nightcap against Malone was just a victory lap as CBU treated the Pioneers to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-16) loss.
"Winning our pool was the first goal, now we're back to 0-0," said Head Coach Ryan McGuyre. "Now we just have to prepare to accomplish our next goal one match at a time. I think we'll do a better job preparing for these coming matches and we'll be ready."
The Lancers dropped their first set of the tournament against SAGU, but showed they can rebound well, taking the last two sets in convincing fashion.
After CBU jumped ahead 5-0 in the second game, The Lions rallied behind the service of Tina Brown and took a 7-6 lead. CBU would fall behind by as much as seven in the set and couldn't complete a comeback due to costly service errors down the stretch.
CBU seemed unfazed however, smashing 17 kills in the third game, hitting .417. SAGU had just four kills in the game, hitting a match low -.038.
Things only got better in the clinching fourth game win for the Lancers as CBU hit .524. Bree Rauschenbach's service was key in the set as the senior was serving when CBU stretched a two-point lead into a six-point advantage midway through the game.
"Once you get one or two runs the rest becomes easier and I think that's what happened," said McGuyre. "It opened things up a little bit and we got rolling."
Rauschenbach served five aces in the match and Ingrid Carmona led the team with 19 kills. After a quiet first day, Jessica Kalama posted 15 kills and 15 digs in the match. Her 15 digs led all players.
The Lancers out-blocked the Lions 10-2 in the match and had their best hitting percentage of the tournament at .359.
CBU had yet another impressive hitting performance to close out the day against Malone, attacking at a .341 clip, with 39 total kills in the three set match.
As she has all tournament, Carmona led the team in kills with 17, hitting .412 along the way. Taylor Parker and Jordyn Siko took turns running the offense for the Lancers, with Parker racking up 19 assists and Siko posting 14.
CBU was only really tested in the second game, when the team had to come back late after trailing much of the set.
In the span of six points Carmona ripped four kills to bring the Lancers back and even the set at 15-15. CBU would complete a six-point run with three more points out of a Pioneer timeout, giving the team an 18-15 lead. The Lancers would hold their advantage the rest of the way.
"We played well over these last few matches and I don't think there is one specific thing we need to drastically improve on," said McGuyre. "We just need to make sure to do the little things well and the big thinks will come."
CBU faces Palm Beach Atlantic in the semifinals at 10 a.m. (EST) on Saturday. The winner of that match will play in the championship at 3 p.m. (EST).
