Seasiders Out At Home

Thursday, October 22

Laie, Hawaii

10:30 PM

California Baptist University

16-3, 9-2PacWest

BYU-Hawaii

10-9, 8-3PacWest

California Baptist

BYU-Hawaii

Photo by: Andrew Shortall

10/23/2015 1:41:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

LAIE, Hawaii – After finding themselves locked in a first-place tie for the last 22 days, California Baptist University and BYU-Hawaii met up for the second time in 2015 to define a frontrunner near the halfway mark of the PacWest season.

When the two teams last met in Riverside, the Seasiders overcame a two-set hole for a five-set victory. On Thursday, the Lancers had a one-set deficit to overcome en route to a five-set win of their own in the Cannon Activities Center (CAC) after a near-miraculous comeback in the third set and dominant fifth, 12-25, 25-21, 26-24, 24-26, 15-8.

"This feels better than any match ever," CBU outside hitter Lauren Hackett said.

Coach Branden Higa expanded on the emotion of the victory a bit further: "It feels great, BYU-Hawaii has been the class of this conference as long as they've been in it. We've been working a long time to get a win over them, so it feels great to beat them and to do it here. The respect we have for that program is tremendous because they've represented greatness for so long."

It's the Lancers' second victory over the Seasiders in the history of the 13-match series, with their last win coming in Laie, as well, in 2008. CBU had not even taken a set off BYU-H on its home floor in seven years, but used a 12-4 advantage in blocks to lead it to victory over the 2013 NCAA Division II runners-up and five-time reigning champions.

More importantly, CBU is now in sole possession of first place with a 16-3, 9-2 in conference record. BYU-H falls into second place tie with a 10-9, 8-3 record. Hawaii Pacific is in a tie for third place with Concordia with a 12-6, 7-3 mark. The Lancers will meet the Sharks on the road Friday at 10 p.m.

"I think the difference between tonight and the first time we played them was we stuck with our gampelan better and for longer," Higa said. "I felt the last match, one of the reasons we lost was we let the gameplan go down the stretch when things got tight. When we got tight tonight, we stuck to what we wanted to do and the result was better."

Outside of the first set, CBU never let the Seasiders get comfortable with wild comebacks in the third and fourth set. The Lancers preferred to do away with the drama as much as possible in the fifth.

With Jordyn Siko serving, CBU scored the first three points of the deciding frame. They came on a combo block from Jenna Perry and Kiera Brunson, a Siko ace and Hackett kill.

"We knew we weren't going to lose in that huddle before the fifth set," Hackett said. "We just went full throttle. We held nothing back and we knew they couldn't handle us."

The Seasiders would pull back within a point, 6-5, coming out of a timeout, but Lauren Marr broke BYU-H's momentum with a kill. Little did she know, it was the start of a 6-0 run that put the match away, 12-5. Siko and Abbie Gortsema set combo walls for two blocks in that stretch, while Hackett had a kill, as well.

A Seasider kill stopped the run, but only for a moment as an attacking error and Hackett spike gave the Lancers match point, 14-6. CBU clinched the match on another BYU-H error.

Hackett and Marr provided the Lancers with plenty of offense, with 22 and 18 kills on percentages of .383 (22-4-47) and .349 (18-3-43), respectively.

"The second we stopped tipping, they couldn't handle us," Hackett said. "We realized if we could hit a ball, it was a point. If Marr hit a ball, it was a kill. She was unstoppable and it's what we needed. She pumped me up."

"[Hackett and Marr's play] says a lot about Jordyn [Siko], she put up great balls, especially to those two," Higa said. "They were in rhythm and it was split block 101."

CBU hit .257 as a team (56-17-152) behind Siko's setting. The senior setter finished with another double-double on 47 assists, 11 digs, two blocks, a kill and ace.

Gortsema flexed her influence with seven blocks on the night. Tori Ortman finished with 15 digs and Kristin McCord added nine. Hackett and Marr each played both ways, with eight digs and seven blocks, respectively. Jenna Perry wound up with five kills and four blocks, while Brunson had five blocks of her own.

Knowing it had not taken a set off BYU-H in the CAC since 2008 and after a lackluster first set, CBU came out hungry in the second. Marr may have been more ravenous than anyone, as she provided seven kills and two blocks in the set.

"[Marr] has that ability, she plays with emotion and plays with a little bit of fury, which we need from her," Higa said. "That's when she's at her best when she's just laying it all out there. I think our girls followed her lead tonight."

The junior outside hitter notched three of her team's first four points, giving the Lancers a 5-2 edge. After a Seasider point, CBU used a 4-0 run fueled by a Hackett kill and block, with Gortsema in on the latter, to take a 9-3 lead. Consecutive block assists from Brunson increased the Lancers' lead to six, 11-5.

The cushion grew to 16-8 after a 3-0 charge consisting of a Marr kill; block from Gortsema and Perry and Brunson ace. BYU-Hawaii would use a timeout to refocus, ultimately pulling within five, 20-15. CBU used a timeout of its own to get its bearings and with the help of two kills each from Hackett and Marr was able to trade points with the Siders en route to a 25-21 victory. In addition to Marr, Siko also played big in the set with 10 assists, five digs and a kill.

In set three, CBU would take the early lead – turning a 6-6 tie into an 11-7 advantage. Hackett sparked the drive with two kills. BYU-H answered with a 7-0 run of its own to grab a 14-11 edge.

The Seasiders appeared to be on their way to a victory with a 23-18 lead, but the Lancers had other ideas and completed their wildest comeback in a set this season with an 8-1 run. Marr started it by forcing sideout with a kill, and Nicci Hinderaker aced BYU-H to force a Sider timeout with its lead trimmed to 23-20.

Hinderaker continued to serve tough, forcing an over ball that Gortsema spiked to the floor, prompting another Seasiders timeout with their edge down to 23-22. Gortsema got a kill on the very next play and a blocking error gave the Lancers set point, 24-23.

BYU-H tied things again with a kill but consecutive attack errors would give the Lancers the big comeback victory, 26-24.

CBU was down big again, 16-10, in the fourth set. Of course, the Lancers did not quit. A service error brought them within three, 20-17, and Gortsema built on that momentum with a block and two kills pulling her team within 21-20.

Two Hackett kills and a service error tied things at 23, but the Seasiders took set point on a dump-set kill from Chen. Hackett tied things again at 24-24, but BYU-H forced a fifth set with two-straight kills.

"I personally had no doubt," Hackett said. "I think once we realized if we cut emotions out of it, turned into a machine and did our jobs it wasn't even a question."

All it did was make the victory all the much sweeter for the Lancers, as they completed a five-set victory in unfriendly territory. CBU knows it cannot rest, with HPU awaiting Friday and Hawaii Hilo on Saturday at 7 p.m.

"One of our team goals is 3-0 in Hawaii, even though that was our biggest match for the conference, that's our vision," Hackett said. "That win was essential for firing us up for match two."