With only a week of classes behind them, the Biola women’s volleyball team has already traveled to two tournaments: the Azusa Pacific University Cougar Classic and the Northwestern College Red Raider Classic, racking up a 4-2 record.

After being ranked No. 6 in the 2010 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Preseason Poll, Biola opened with two sweeps at the Azusa Pacific University Cougar Classic on August 21.

While Biola had some slower starts to several of the tournament games, a balanced attack and many well-timed runs kept the Eagles in the clear. The team saw a particularly balanced effort from Biola’s setters, with senior Abbie Wright recording 19 assists and three digs, and sophomore Justine Schoneveld adding 15 assists, two digs and a kill. Freshmen setters Nicolette Douglas and Gracee Gallarda were also contributors, with Douglas recording 16 assists, eight digs and a kill, and Gallarda adding 14 assists and six digs.

In their 25-22, 25-18, 25-17 win over Viterbo University, sophomore Christine Douglas had 9 kills and three blocks, with senior Tavea Hampton adding seven kills and five blocks.

Biola went on to defeat Black Hills State 25-22, 25-17, 25-10 in their second match, with Douglas racking up another 13 kills and eight digs. Sophomores Nicolette Mather and Rachel Buckley contributed substantially to the win, with Mather adding six kills, three blocks and a dig, and Buckley adding five kills and four blocks.

August 27-28 found the Eagles in Orange City, Iowa participating in the Northwestern College Red Raider Classic. This two day tournament began with an Eagle sweep (25-19, 25-13, 25-18) over #17-ranked Bellevue University, in which Hampton and Christine Douglas each had 12 kills. Wright added an impressive 22 assists and 13 digs, while Gallarda added 13 assists and 7 digs.

Next, Biola fell to the tournament home team in five intense sets against No. 5-ranked Northwestern. During the 22-25, 25-19, 15-25, 25-23, 15-11 match, Biola’s domination of the first and third sets was not enough to quell the Red Raiders’ momentum fueled by a large home crowd. Douglas had another impressive game with 17 kills, three digs, one block and one assist, while Kim Russell added 15 kills and 10 blocks.

The next day began with yet another five-set loss, this time against No. 4-ranked Lee University. The 25-18, 25-14, 18-25, 23-25, 15-13 loss saw the Eagles particularly struggling in the first two sets. In the third set, the Eagles finally hit their stride, taking the set and using their momentum to win the fourth as well. But Lee’s scoring runs in the fifth set gave them the upper hand to win the match, despite Douglas’ impressive 23 kills, Amy Mosebar’s eight kills, and Hampton’s nine kills and seven blocks.

Only 15 minutes after their close loss to Lee, the Eagles began their final game of the tournament against Dordt College. This five-set Eagle victory was hard-earned, as Biola took its time regaining momentum until the fourth set. Douglas again turned in a stunning performance with a season-high of 28 kills, while the consistent Hampton added 12 kills and three blocks.