California Baptist University
7-21,7-9WAC
Abilene Christian University
10-17,5-11WAC
CBU Volleyball Wraps up #5 Seed with Sweep of Abilene Christian on Saturday Afternoon
11/16/2024 6:53:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University volleyball team wrapped up the regular season in style with a sweep of Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon.
The victory pushed CBU to 7-9 in conference play and gave the Lancers momentum to head into the Western Athletic Conference on a three-match winning streak. The win plus a Southern Utah loss solidifies CBU as the #5 seed in the tournament, while the ACU Wildcats will drop into the 8th seed.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Wildcats started very strong in the opening set, leading 5-2, but a CBU offensive flurry quickly erased the lead and gave CBU the advantage at 8-6. CBU stepped on the gas pedal behind a strong service run from Reese Reed to elevate its lead to 15-8. Mia Jerue would add to the dominance on the service line with back-to-back aces to force the Wildcats to burn their second timeout. The timeout could not stop the bleeding and the Lancers would easily walk away with the 25-14 win.
The second set played out very similar to the first, with ACU stringing together five straight rallies to force a Branden Higa timeout. Out of the timeout, CBU would score on five of the next six scoring opportunities and eventually take its first lead at 12-11. The Wildcats could not slow the CBU momentum and would never recapture the lead, ultimately succumbing to the Lancers 25-22 and finding themselves in a 2-0 hole.
The third set was the most competitive of the match as the Wildcats were looking to avoid the sweep. ACU held a lead as large as six points in the frame at 15-9, but CBU clawed their way back into the match behind a critical service run by Avery Barber that scored seven straight points for the home team. ACU would regain a thin lead at 19-18, but a 5-1 CBU run would ultimately be the difference in the frame. Kali Wolf and Jerue would put the final two nails in the coffin of ACU and ride out the 25-23 victory and the home sweep.
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
Jerue was the offensive catalyst for the Lancer in the victory, with a game-high 12 kills and chipping in three aces. The trio of aces gave Jerue 100 for her career and 49 for the season, which is also a new NCAA-era program record for most aces in a single season. CBU, in general, had a fantastic match from the service line with 11 aces as a unit against only five from the Wildcats.
On the blocks, CBU was dominant, outblocking the visitors 10-1, led by Madison Gilliland and Laura Walewska, who had 5.5 blocks combined. Eliana Posada and Nicole Mauser were also key factors in CBU's blocking disparity, each chipping in multiple in the win.
NEXT: The stage is set for the WAC Tournament as #5 Lancers will take on #4 Utah Tech in the opening round of the tournament. The Lancers will face the Trailblazers on Thursday, November 21, at 4 PM PT in the WAC Quarterfinals.
