Saturday, October 2
Las Cruces, N.M.
12 PM
California Baptist University
7-6,2-1WAC
3
at
2
NM State
12-4,3-1WAC
1
2
3
4
5
F
California Baptist
15
22
25
25
16
3
New Mexico St.
25
25
22
21
14
2
Photo by: Zac Zeman zaczeman.com
Lancers Battle Back to Defeat WAC Power New Mexico State On the Road in Five Sets
10/2/2021 3:17:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
LAS CRUCES – California Baptist University women's volleyball rebounded from a two-set deficit to defeat Western Athletic Conference power NM State on the road in five sets on Saturday.
It took extra points in the fifth and final set, but the Lancers pulled off the improbable comeback (15-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 16-14) to snap a number of lengthy WAC winning streaks of the Aggies. It not only handed NMSU its first conference loss of the season, but it ended the team's nine-match winning streak overall, its 13 straight regular-season match winning streak in the WAC and 14-straight home conference victories.
NM State moves to 12-4 overall and 3-1 in the WAC this season, while CBU improves to 7-6 and 2-1. For the moment, it puts the Lancers in a two-way tie for second place in the WAC's West Division standings with Grand Canyon (10-2, 2-1). The Lopes were set to face Seattle U in conference play later Saturday.
CBU was able to turn things in its favor from the third set on, thanks to its attack from the service line. The Lancers out aced the Aggies 8-3, with Paige Johnstone finishing with a team-high three, while Jennifer Blessing had two huge aces in the fifth set that helped turn a 7-7 tie into an 11-7 lead for California Baptist.
Johnstone set a new career-high with 27 digs, which is one of CBU's NCAA Division I era record. It's tied for the sixth most digs in an NCAA-era match for the Lancers. She also matched her career-high of eight assists.
Tesa Oaks went off for a season-high 17 kills, but it was a balanced effort with a total of four Lancers logging double-digit kills: Christine Graf (14), Anouk van Noord (13, .367 hitting percentage) and Scherine Dahoue (10).
Dahoue was one of three Lancers to post double-doubles in the match, with 16 digs on the day. Setters Leah Pease (28 assists, 11 digs) and Hana Okuhara (20 assists, 11 digs) joined Dahoue in that feat. Laura Walewska also had six kills on a .417 clip.
Saturday's win was reminiscent of CBU's first-ever victory over NM State in the Lancers' first-ever WAC match. California Baptist avoided giving up a two-set lead in the match, with a 25-23, 25-23, 19-25, 20-25, 15-11 win in the Van Dyne Gym on Sept. 20, 2018.
The fifth set was a perfect microcosm of the match, as both teams went on runs before CBU finally put the match away. NM State jumped out to a 3-1 lead and led by as many as four, 6-2, before the Lancers battled back to force a 7-7 tie on consecutive kills from van Noord.
Coach Branden Higa subbed in Blessing for the first time in the match to serve in a crucial moment, and it paid off. In addition to her two aces, she completely took the Aggies out of system and led CBU to easy Lancer points.
CBU took a 13-10 lead of it own and held match point at 14-12, but NMSU fought back to tie the game at 14-14. An Oaks kill provided a huge sideout and an attack error from the Aggies sent the Lancers into a frenzy.
The Lancers will have a few days to enjoy the moment before they kick off a big three-match homestand in the WAC. CBU will host Dixie State (Oct. 7), Utah Valley (Oct. 9) and Seattle U (Oct. 14).
It took extra points in the fifth and final set, but the Lancers pulled off the improbable comeback (15-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 16-14) to snap a number of lengthy WAC winning streaks of the Aggies. It not only handed NMSU its first conference loss of the season, but it ended the team's nine-match winning streak overall, its 13 straight regular-season match winning streak in the WAC and 14-straight home conference victories.
GO CRAZY, LANCER NATION❗
— California Baptist Volleyball (@CBUvolleyball) October 2, 2021
CBU battles back to defeat NM State in five sets on the road❗#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/6a5deOLeJx
NM State moves to 12-4 overall and 3-1 in the WAC this season, while CBU improves to 7-6 and 2-1. For the moment, it puts the Lancers in a two-way tie for second place in the WAC's West Division standings with Grand Canyon (10-2, 2-1). The Lopes were set to face Seattle U in conference play later Saturday.
LANCERS WIN‼️
— California Baptist Volleyball (@CBUvolleyball) October 2, 2021
CBU rallies back from down 2-0 to defeat @WACsports power NM State on the road in 5️⃣ (15-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 16-14). Paige Johnstone finishes with 27 digs, Tesa Oaks has 17 kills and Scherine Dahoue, Hana Okuhara and Leah Pease post double-doubles.#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/rPVGTHoFB5
CBU was able to turn things in its favor from the third set on, thanks to its attack from the service line. The Lancers out aced the Aggies 8-3, with Paige Johnstone finishing with a team-high three, while Jennifer Blessing had two huge aces in the fifth set that helped turn a 7-7 tie into an 11-7 lead for California Baptist.
What a Blessing 🙏#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/wyXO6LzZge
— California Baptist Volleyball (@CBUvolleyball) October 2, 2021
Johnstone set a new career-high with 27 digs, which is one of CBU's NCAA Division I era record. It's tied for the sixth most digs in an NCAA-era match for the Lancers. She also matched her career-high of eight assists.
Put some syrup on that 🥞 Paige!#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/Sw6phUEADx
— California Baptist Volleyball (@CBUvolleyball) October 2, 2021
Tesa Oaks went off for a season-high 17 kills, but it was a balanced effort with a total of four Lancers logging double-digit kills: Christine Graf (14), Anouk van Noord (13, .367 hitting percentage) and Scherine Dahoue (10).
Tesa Oaks sends us to a fifth set with her 15th kill of the match!#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/ihNlCbIx3b
— California Baptist Volleyball (@CBUvolleyball) October 2, 2021
Dahoue was one of three Lancers to post double-doubles in the match, with 16 digs on the day. Setters Leah Pease (28 assists, 11 digs) and Hana Okuhara (20 assists, 11 digs) joined Dahoue in that feat. Laura Walewska also had six kills on a .417 clip.
Saturday's win was reminiscent of CBU's first-ever victory over NM State in the Lancers' first-ever WAC match. California Baptist avoided giving up a two-set lead in the match, with a 25-23, 25-23, 19-25, 20-25, 15-11 win in the Van Dyne Gym on Sept. 20, 2018.
The fifth set was a perfect microcosm of the match, as both teams went on runs before CBU finally put the match away. NM State jumped out to a 3-1 lead and led by as many as four, 6-2, before the Lancers battled back to force a 7-7 tie on consecutive kills from van Noord.
BIG kill from Anouk van Noord for her 13th of the day! She's hitting .393 in the process. #LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/HOLwDe1myD
— California Baptist Volleyball (@CBUvolleyball) October 2, 2021
Coach Branden Higa subbed in Blessing for the first time in the match to serve in a crucial moment, and it paid off. In addition to her two aces, she completely took the Aggies out of system and led CBU to easy Lancer points.
CBU took a 13-10 lead of it own and held match point at 14-12, but NMSU fought back to tie the game at 14-14. An Oaks kill provided a huge sideout and an attack error from the Aggies sent the Lancers into a frenzy.
The Lancers will have a few days to enjoy the moment before they kick off a big three-match homestand in the WAC. CBU will host Dixie State (Oct. 7), Utah Valley (Oct. 9) and Seattle U (Oct. 14).
Team Stats
CBU
NMSU
Kills
63
71
Errors
24
22
Attempts
176
172
Hitting %
.222
.285
Points
75
82
Assists
60
66
Aces
8
3
Blocks
4
8
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's Volleyball
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