Lancers Dig Deep in PacWest Showdown

Saturday, November 5

Riverside, Calif.

2 p.m.

California Baptist University

Concordia

California Baptist

Photo by: Jacob Gonzalez

Lancers Dig Deep in PacWest Showdown

11/5/2016 4:58:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – In a two-set hole, California Baptist University dug down deep and came back to win the next two games, forcing a fifth and deciding setagainst Concordia on Saturday afternoon in the Van Dyne Gym.

It nearly delivered the upset the Lancers were looking for against the 25^th-ranked Eagles in NCAA Division II, but Concordia took a big sigh of relief as it inched out a five-set win, 28-26, 25-20, 22-25, 17-25, 15-9. It extends CUI's first-place lead in the PacWest, as it improves to 23-2, 14-2 in the conference and creates a second-place tie between CBU (17-6, 12-3) and Dominican (16-7, 12-3).

There are five matches left in the Lancers' regular season, while the Eagles play just four more. CBU heads to Point Loma on Monday for a 7 p.m. match and then starts a three-match homestand, hosting Dixie State Friday at 8 p.m. and BYU-Hawaii Saturday at 7 p.m.

Despite the loss, CBU hit .268 as a team, out aced and out dug Concordia 5-2 and 70-62, respectively, with five players posting double-digit digs. Sydney Kralj had a hand or two to play in all three impressive figures, with 55 assists, 12 digs, four blocks, three kills and an ace at setter. Lauren Hackett and Jenna Perry joined Kralj with double-doubles of their own. Hackett's consisted of 25 kills on a .298 percentage (25-8-57), 13 digs, two blocks and two aces, while Perry logged 17 kills, 10 digs and three blocks. Tori Ortman led CBU in digs, with 18, and also posted two aces from the libero position.

After dropping the first two sets, the Lancers were in danger of being swept, down 10-6 in the third. A 4-1 run, with all four points coming on kills from Hackett brought CBU within one, 11-10. The Lancers took back momentum from there and grabbed a 16-14 lead, with a 5-1 run, coming on three Perry kills and consecutive points from Abbie Gortsema (eight blocks, four kills) on a block and kill.

Concordia called timeout, but could CBU pushed its lead out to three, 20-17, with a 4-2 charge coming on two Hackett spikes and an ace from Ortman. The Eagles clawed back within a point, but consecutive kills from Lauren Marr (13 kills) and Perry gave the Lancers the 25-22 win.

Momentum shifted in CBU's favor quickly in set four, as Elizabeth Gilley led her team on a 4-0 run at the service line. Kills from Perry and Hackett gave the Lancers a 5-2 lead and then a 6-0 run put CBU up 11-5. Concordia tried to rally back, but another 5-0 spurt put the visitors away for good in the fourth.

Blocking led the Lancers out to an early lead in set five, as three of their first four points in the set came on stuffs and helped put CBU up 6-4. Out of nowhere, Concordia came racing back and nabbed an 11-8 advantage with a 6-1 charge. It proved too great a deficit to overcome so late in the match, as the Eagles survived for the deciding 15-9 victory.