Women’s volleyball loses to Vanguard, beats Hope on the road

The Biola women’s volleyball squad lost on the road to the Vanguard Lions in four sets Saturday, 19-25, 28-26, 29-31, 21-25. The Eagles went on the road again Tuesday and came away with a 3-0 sweep of Hope International University, 25-21, 25-10, 25-17.

In the match versus Vanguard University, Biola could not keep up with intensity of the Lions.

“They [Vanguard] played really good,” coach Aaron Seltzer said. That was the best he had seen Vanguard play in a long time.

Senior Jamie Heenan led the Lions with an outstanding 22 kills, followed closely by senior KaUwila Lavea with a solid 20 kills. Freshman Kendall Haldi added six blocks for Vanguard.

Vanguard’s first set win was followed by a Biola win in the second set. Seltzer said it was in the third set where things started to fall apart. Biola lost the third set on an error that was overturned by the officials. Seltzer added that it was the right call.

“We competed well but did not execute well down the stretch,” Seltzer said. He also added that Vanguard is a tough team to beat when they are at home.

Late game struggles still a problem for Eagles

“We struggled to close games out. We had so many opportunities to win but we couldn’t seem to take advantage of any. Our errors were all errors at significant points,” Biola junior Rachel Buckley said after the game. She had 10 kills and three blocks for the Eagles.

Junior Nicolette Mather led Biola with 14 kills, four blocks and a .323 kill percentage, and freshman Amy Weststeyn had 11 kills and three blocks with a .400 kill percentage.

Eagles maintain dominance over Hope International

The Eagles attempted to come back Tuesday when they faced Hope International on the road. Biola won in three sets.

“This was a feel good win,” Seltzer said. “Now they know they can win.”

Junior Christine Douglas led Biola with 10 kills and four blocks with a .348 kill percentage. Weststeyn also added nine kills for the Eagles and a .312 kill percentage.

“We played to our level of volleyball and played a quick offense,” Buckley said.

Biola held Hope International to 26 kills in the match with a .057 kill percentage. Hope also only recorded one dig and four blocks during the match.

“This was a good mental win for us,” Seltzer said. The squad had lost two big games prior to the game against Hope. This game showed the team they can win, and their potential when everything is working for them. It also helps the Eagles’ confidence going into their next two games.

Hope International dropped to a 1-10 record in Golden State Athletic Conference play with a 5-18 overall record. Biola currently has a 6-5 record in the conference with a 18-9 overall record.

Coach Seltzer said they are coming up on the toughest part of their schedule. The Eagles will face Concordia, ranked No. 2 in the NAIA ratings, on the road Saturday, Oct. 22. Then Azusa Pacific University, ranked No. 7 in the ratings, will travel to Biola’s Chase Gymnasium next Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.