California Baptist University
6-4,0-0WAC
UC Irvine
2-8,0-0Big West
Walewska and Krieger Lead CBU to Five Set Win over UCI
9/15/2023 7:41:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
FULLERTON--- In the final tournament of the non-conference schedule, the California Baptist University Lancers defeated the Anteaters of UC Irvine in five sets to open the WAC/Big West Showdown.
The Lancers now hold a two-game winning streak over UCI and extend their current win streak to four. The five-set victory marks the third time CBU has gone the distance and come away victorious, doing the same to Oregon State and Nevada last week.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Anteaters opened the match aggressively and quickly, jumping out to an early first-set lead. The Lancers would soon rally to keep it close until a 4-1 UCI run clinched the set for the visitors.
The second set was tight and featured several lead changes throughout the duration. The Anteaters held a late 22-20 lead before CBU mounted a furious comeback and rattled off five of the following six points to even the game. In the rally, Catherine Krieger and Michalina Rola secured points with a kill and ace to force the 1-1 tie.
The Lancers could not get anything going against the UCI defense in the third set, resulting in a dominating 25-14 win for the Anteaters and putting them in control heading into the fourth set.
CBU continued to show its resilience in the fourth set, quickly leaping out to a 5-1 start and opening it further to 11-5, forcing a UCI timeout. The Anteaters fought back and pulled the score to 24-22 before Krieger walked off the set with a strong swing from the right side to force the fifth set.
Head Coach Branden Higa talked about having a short memory and how his team pulled off the win in the fourth set.
"Being able to bounce back is one of those things you need to be an elite competitor. To do that you've got to have a short memory and the ability to come back with greater focus and resolve. We were able to do that in the 4th set and then in the 5th we were able to play a really clean set to get the win."
The Lancers were in familiar territory in the fifth set, having pulled off two five-set wins a week ago in the CBU-UCR Tournament. The result in this one was no different, with CBU jumping out to the early 7-2 advantage. The Lancer offense racked up eight kills in the set, with three coming from team leader Michalina Rola. Logan Manley would chip in a vital ace before Laura Walewska would finish off UCI with a thunderous solo block to seal the victory.
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
Offensively, CBU was led by its two leading outside hitters, Rola and Krieger. The two attackers combined for 28 kills, boasting efficient hitting nights. Setter Leah Pease did her part with another double-double, recording 26 assists and 14 digs this time.
Defensively, Laura Walewska shined with a stellar performance from the junior middle blocker. Walewska had a season-high nine blocks, including her lone solo block that ended the match in the fifth set. Walewska contributed on the offensive side with five kills and ten total points. Reigning WAC Libero of the Week, Mia Jerue put together another fine performance at libero with 16 digs and a pair of service aces.
NEXT: The Lancers will wrap up non-conference play against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, September 16th at 6 p.m.
