California Baptist University
6-6,1-0WAC
Southern Utah
1-9,0-1WAC
Lancers Open WAC Play With Clean Sweep Over Thunderbirds
9/22/2022 8:53:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
RIVERSIDE --- California Baptist University volleyball opened Western Athletic Conference play on Thursday night, as the Lancers took down the Thunderbirds of Southern Utah in a 3-0 sweep.
CBU improves to 6-6 on the season and 3-0 in the all-time series against the Thunderbirds after the 26-24, 25-21, 25-21 victory. SUU will start WAC play at 0-1 and falls to 1-9 on the year.
Offensively, CBU hit .220 as a team and posted a 64.7 side-out percentage in the clean sweep victory. Christine Graf was dominant for the Lancers from start to finish, showcasing her power with a team-best 17 kills while hitting .375 on the night.
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— California Baptist Volleyball (@CBUvolleyball) September 23, 2022
Christine Graf with a massive swing!!#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/CvvLpvpQyy
Cassidy Dennison and Michalina Rola also finished with double-digit kills, as the duo produced 12 and 10, respectively. Leah Pease ended her night with a double-double, recording 34 assists and 11 digs. Chandler Gorman held down the block party, recording a team-high eight blocks.
In the opening set, the Lancers and Thunderbirds went back and forth for a match-high 13 ties and six lead changes. With the game tied at 24-24, the Thunderbirds made an attacking error to give CBU the set point. Rola came up huge for the Lancers, earning a solo block to take the first set in favor of the home team.
Graf made her presence known in the second set with her 10th kill of the night to give the Lancers a 15-10 advantage. It was smooth sailing after that, as the Lancers kept the Thunderbirds at arm's length to take control of the second set.
The Lancers appeared to be in the driver seat for the final set, jumping out to a 10-5 lead in the early going. SUU wouldn't go down without a fight, though, as the deficit was erased to a 15-15 tie midway through. CBU responded with three straight points to maintain its advantage, and Dennison helped put the game away, recording back-to-back kills to claim the sweep.
UP NEXT
CBU will hit the road to continue WAC play with a trip to Las Cruces, N.M., to take on NM State on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 12 p.m. (PST).
