California Baptist University
Fresno Pacific
Turning Tables
11/17/2013 4:05:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
FRESNO, Calif. – After a three-set sweep over Fresno Pacific at home earlier this season, things looked much different on the road for California Baptist University Saturday afternoon.
When both sides first met on Sept. 25, the Lancers defended their court with a 3-0 domination (25-21, 25-16, 25-19). The Sunbirds answered back with a four-game PacWest rematch win in Fresno, 25-18, 25-27, 25-17, 25-20.
It was CBU's second-straight loss, as it slips to 17-11, 14-5 in the PacWest this season. The win was Fresno Pacific's fifth-straight, as it improved to 16-11, 11-9 in conference.
Kim McCalmont and Malika O'Brien led the Lancers' offense with 17 and 12 kills, respectively. Rupia Inck finished with a match-high 25 kills – many in clutch fashion – for the Sunbirds, who did not have another player hit double-digit kills.
A 4-0 run, highlighted by two McCalmont kills, tied the opening game at 15-15 for CBU, but a service error broke the Lancers' stride. It stretched into a 10-3 game-clinching run for Fresno Pacific, with four errors and three Inck kills fueling the Sunbirds' drive to lift FPU 25-18.
CBU put together another strong run in the second, using a 5-0 spurt powered by three McCalmont kills and two FPU errors, to take a 19-17 lead. The Lancers nursed the lead to three, 23-20, and appeared on the way to a second-game win on a Jelena Dragovic kill. The Sunbirds battled back, however, to knot the score at 23 on an Inck kill and grabbed the next point to be within set-point.
FPU gave the momentum back with an attacking error of its own, but took it right back, along with the second game, 27-25, on a pair of game-clinching kills from Inck.
The Lancers put together multiple runs, including a 6-0 run after trailing 11-9, to win the third game, with Jenna Perry and McCalmont claiming the set at 25-17 with back-to-back kills.
After trailing by as many as four in the fifth game, 20-16, California Baptist University rallied back within one, 21-20, on a McCalmont kill. The Lancers would come no closer, though, as the Sunbirds closed the game on a 4-0 run to clinch the match.
Taylor Parker led CBU in assists (40) in the loss, while Katie Rotondo posted a team-high 20 digs.
The Lancers will have to wait to find out if their season will be extended into post-season NCAA Division II action. CBU currently sits seventh in the region poll, with the top eight teams from each region advancing to the tournament.
