California Baptist University
8-21,8-9WAC
#4 Utah Tech
15-12,9-8WAC
CBU Volleyball Wins First-Ever WAC Tournament Match with Sweep of Utah Tech in the Quarterfinals
11/21/2024 5:24:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
ARLINGTON, TX--- The California Baptist University volleyball team made program history on Thursday afternoon, winning its first-ever Western Athletic Conference tournament match in straight sets over Utah Tech.
The Lancers have now won four straight matches dating back to November 7 and have won seven of its last nine. CBU is the first team in the tournament to pull off a victory as the lower seed after #2 Grand Canyon and #3 Utah Valley held serve in the earlier matches of the day.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The tournament jitters were in full effect for CBU out of the gate, with Utah Tech scoring on the first four rallies to put the Lancers in an early hole. Head Coach Branden Higa and the team showed no signs of panic and shook off the early rust via a 5-1 run to tie the set at five in the early going. Kali Wolf was on fire in the opening set, registering four kills, a block, and an ace in the frame. CBU and Utah Tech would go back and forth over the next several rallies in a set that featured seven lead changes and 11 ties. The turning point of the set came late in the period when CBU scored three straight get to set point at 24-22 before Wolf would finish the deal with a powerful swing from the left side of the court and give CBU the 25-23 victory.
CBU showcased its dominance in the second set as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead to force a Trailblazer timeout. Utah Tech would get back within striking distance at 9-8 before CBU executed a 7-1 to regain the momentum and take complete control of the set. UTU would not get within five points of the Lancers, and the set would ultimately go to the Lancers by a convincing margin of 25-15. The third set would play out pretty similarly to the second, with CBU taking an early before Utah Tech would match their energy. With the set tied at eight apiece, the Lancers would rattle off four straight on a Reese Reed service run to take the advantage. CBU kept the Trailblazers at arm's length for the remainder of the set, and a thunderous kill by Wolf would end the set and the match 25-20 in favor of the Lancers.
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
The story of the day for CBU was efficiency and clean volleyball, with the Lancers committing a near season-low nine attacking errors and only having 16 total errors in the match. CBU's hitting percentage was near the .300 mark at .297, which was their third-best mark of the season. A large reason for CBU's efficiency was Wolf, who led the team with 13 kills and ended two of the three sets on powerful swings from her outside position.
Reed was dominant in both facets of the match, notching a strong double-double with 19 assists and tied a career-high with 16 digs in the sweep. Madison Gilliland also put together a strong performance for the Lancers, with eight kills, three blocks, and a .467 hitting percentage.
NEXT: The Lancers will compete in the WAC Semifinals as they await the winner of the #1 UTA Mavericks and #8 ACU Wildcats. The semifinal match is set for Friday, November 22, at 4 PM PT in Arlington, TX.
