Lancers Defeat UTEP for First D-I Home Win

Saturday, September 15

Riverside, Calif.

7:00 PM

California Baptist University

9-3

UTEP

3-9

UTEP

California Baptist

Photo by: Dwain Linden

Lancers Defeat UTEP for First D-I Home Win

9/15/2018 10:29:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Serving and blocking proved to be the difference makers in California Baptist University's first-ever NCAA Division I home match in program history versus UTEP in the Van Dyne Gym on Saturday night.

History was not about to be lost on the Lancers, who defeated the Miners in four sets (25-11, 19-25, 25-14, 25-18), thanks in large part to be to a 10-5 edge in blocks and in 6-0 advantage in blocks. CBU improves to 9-3 on the season, while UTEP drops to 3-9 in front of a large and raucous home crowd.

"The team was really excited to play at home, a lot of them don't know what it was like to play in Van Dyne," Coach Branden Higa said. "The atmosphere was great tonight. We had a lot of student and community support on a Saturday night."

Defensively, Nicole Abreu accumulated a match-high 22 digs and Tesa Oaks logged a double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs. Yagoda Jedrzejczak was all over the place, with eight kills on a .500 percentage (8-0-16), five blocks and two digs.

Natalie Zimmerer finished with 42 assists, eight digs and two blocks, while Megan Sester and Sydney Marks notched 10 and nine kills, respectively. Marks hit .350 (9-2-20) and added five blocks and an ace.

CBU got off to a quick start and took a 15-6 lead in the first set. The Lancers were very successful from the service line, with two aces in that span, along with a number of tough serves that took UTEP out of system. Jedrzejczak added five points in the run, with three kills and two blocks.

Things didn't slow down for the Lancers in the second half, as they closed out the set on a 10-5 run, with Oaks, Jedrzejczak and Summer Avery all adding two points to the charge.

UTEP managed to clean up its serve receive in set two, which was crucial to its 25-19 win that evened the match at a game apiece. The Lancers made adjustments of their own on defense to win the next two sets and the match.

CBU set the tone early in set three with an 11-2 run that put it ahead 13-6. Sester tallied four of those points with kills, while Elizabeth Gilley and Ellie Voss helped elevate the Lancers off the bench. Gilley served tough and Voss strengthened the Lancers' block after she was subbed in at the right side.

"We had some players step up and play well tonight when we needed them," Higa said. "We just kind of threw Ellie, a middle blocker, in at the right side and she did great job there."

The Miners never really got back in it, as CBU finished the set on a 5-2 run for the 25-14 victory. The final charge was fueled by kills and a team block from Marks and Sester.

Set four saw the Lancers quickly jump in front, 8-3, capped off by a kill and block from Voss. UTEP managed to keep its deficit at four, 17-13, late in the set. Four unanswered points from CBU, including a block and kill from Marks, helped the Lancers pull away for good in the 25-18 victory.

CBU continues its four-match homestand with its first two Western Athletic Conference matches next week. It begins Thursday when defending conference champion NM State visits at 7 p.m. before UTRGV comes in on Saturday at 7 p.m.

While the non-conference play will be over, Higa doesn't want his team to change its mindset.

"Our goal is to win every match," Higa said. "We go about that by playing the right way, playing hard and for each other."