CBU Wins PacWest Showdown in Five

Saturday, October 8

Irvine, Calif.

5 p.m.

California Baptist University

12-4,7-1PacWest

Concordia

16-2,7-2PacWest

CBU

CUI

Photo by: Jacob Gonzalez

CBU Wins PacWest Showdown in Five

10/8/2016 9:12:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

IRVINE, Calif. – There was a lot riding on California Baptist University's trip to Concordia University of Irvine on Saturday. Both teams came into the conference match with just one loss in the PacWest, and each wanted to keep pace with current, undefeated leader Dixie State.

It did not come easy, with the Lancers playing in their third-straight five-set match, but they got the win over the host Eagles, 25-18, 17-25, 19-25, 25-14, 15-13. CBU takes over sole possession of second place in the PacWest at 12-4, 7-1 in conference, and CUI suffered just its second loss of the year (16-2, 7-3).

Jenna Perry put together an all-around performance in the match, with a match-high 19 kills on a .350 percentage (19 kills, five errors on 40 attempts). She completed a double-double, with 11 digs, four blocks and two aces. Natalie Zimmerer got her first career start at setter, putting up 43 assists, seven digs, four blocks and two kills. Abbie Gortsema anchored the middle with eight blocks and seven kills.

CBU started and finished strong, hitting .455 (11-1-22) in the first set and .400 (10-2-20) in the final game. Overall, the Lancers' serving and blocking proved to be difference makers. They out aced the Eagles 10-5 and enjoyed a 17-4 edge in blocks.

There were nine ties in set five, but CBU put up the first substantial run of the game, with a 5-1 charge giving the Lancers a 12-10 lead. Perry provided three of those points, with two kills and a block.

Concordia battled back to force ties at 12-12 and 13-13, but a Gortsema kill gave CBU match point, 14-13, and Lauren Hackett delivered it with a spike of her own. She finished with 18 kills, nine digs and three blocks.

It was tight in the first, with CBU holding a 15-14 edge, but a 5-0 run gave the visitors a crucial 20-14 lead. Tori Ortman fueled the surge with her serving, as she notched two of her team-high three aces in that span. Hackett sparked another 4-1 Lancer sprint with two aces to force set point, 24-17.

After dropping the next two sets, the Lancers needed a set four win to stay alive. It was tight in the middle going, with CBU clinging to a 15-12 lead. Gortsema spearheaded an 8-1 run with two blocks and a kill to give her team a sizable 23-13 cushion.

Jessica Harris was another individual standout, as she finished with seven blocks in total. Sisters Ortman and Nicci Hinderaker both eclipsed double-digit digs, with 16 and 12, respectively.