California Baptist University
14-9,7-5WAC
Utah Tech
8-14,4-8WAC
The Lancers Sweep the Trailblazers on Senior Day
10/28/2023 4:33:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University volleyball team rounded out their three-match homestand with a sweep of Utah Tech. The win pushed the Lancer's win streak to four and gave them a 14-9 record on the season.
CBU also now boasts a 7-5 conference record, and gives them a small cushion in fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference standings.
The Lancers celebrated senior day before the match, honoring seven seniors, including Michalina Rola, Logan Manley, Ashlyn Nevrla, Catherine Krieger, Chandler Gorman, Leah Pease, and Jennifer Blessing. The seniors have had a tremendous impact on the program, combining for 1,095 sets played for the Lancers and bringing invaluable leadership to the team and program.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The opening set was a classic game of runs, with both teams exchanging points and trying to gain the advantage. A Utah Tech 5-0 run gave them a late lead before CBU closed out the set with four straight points, including two thunderous kills by Krieger to take the period 25-21.
The Trailblazers stormed out of the gate in the second set with an 8-3 start to force a CBU timeout. The Lancers gathered themselves and mounted a furious comeback that began with a 7-1 run to knot the match at 14. Utah Tech responded right back and would hold a 23-20 lead before CBU again fought back and forced extra points. Rola and Eliana Posada registered clutch kills to hold off the Trailblazers and take the commanding 2-0 lead.
After two sets of tight volleyball, the Lancers walloped the Trailblazers in the final set, holding a lead as large as ten and eventually earning the win 25-17. The sweep of Utah Tech was the second of the season for CBU and gave the Lancers a perfect 5-0 record against teams from the Beehive State.
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
Rola continues an incredible stretch of games, leading the Lancers again with 16 kills and hitting .400. Rola chipped in three digs and two aces to bring her tally to 18 points for CBU.
As a team, the Lancers recorded their highest hitting percentage of the season at .429, besting their previous best, which was .379 against Utah Tech earlier this season. The mark is the second-best percentage in a single match of the DI era and the fourth-best of the NCAA era.
The Lancers flexed their service muscles again to the tune of eight aces, including two from Mia Jerue, who continues to pace the WAC and the team in that category with 40. Reese Reed led the team with 20 assists, her seventh 20+ assist effort of the season, and added a pair of aces to her season totals to boot.
Next: The Lancers will hit the road for the final time in conference play for a pair of Texas matches. CBU will begin the trip with Abilene Christian on Thursday, November 2, for a critical WAC matchup.
