Biola women’s volleyball team beat the University of Texas/Brownsville, 3-1 on October 27, 2011. | Tyler Otte/THE CHIMES
Eagles lose two of three games including two to GSAC foes
On Thursday, Oct. 27, the NAIA No. 11 Biola women’s volleyball team upset then NAIA No.1 University of Texas-Brownsville in a four set game, bumping Texas-Brownsville down to No. 2 in the country. On Saturday, Oct. 29, the team lost to Westmont College in five sets and on Tuesday the Eagles lost to NAIA No. 17 Point Loma Nazarene University in a four set match.
An early strong start gave Biola control and led to a 3-1 victory over Texas-Brownsville at home on Thursday.
Texas-Brownsville’s errors give Biola an early lead
In the first set, the Scorpions had 11 attack errors — the most in a single set they have committed in the season thus far. In the late part of the first set, Texas-Brownsville was up by one point with a score of 21-20. However, the teams traded points with Biola taking a 22-21 lead. Junior Rachel Buckley had a solo block giving Biola another point. Right after that, Texas-Brownsville made two of their 11 attack errors giving Biola the win, 25-21.
In the second set, Texas-Brownsville thought they had match point at 24-22, but Biola came back with two kills from freshman Amy Weststeyn and one from junior Christine Douglas. There was an attack error by the Scorpions. Buckley and Christine Douglas blocked a hit from Texas-Brownsville, scoring for Biola and giving them another set win, 27-25.
Texas took the win in the third set 26-24, however, in the fourth set Biola took an early nine-point lead. Sophomore Nicolette Douglas closed the set with an ace and Biola won 25-11.
“We just came out with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm and confidence knowing that we’re a good team,” senior Christian Woodruff said.
Biola loses to GSAC foe Westmont
After two straight wins against NAIA top-10 ranked teams, the Eagles lost to Westmont on Tuesday 3-2.
In the first set, both Biola and Westmont got off to a shaky start, but it was the Warriors who won by three points, 25-21.
The Eagles came back in the second set taking an 18-4 lead with 15 kills and a .520 attack percentage. Leading the attacks were Douglas and Weststeyn. Biola won that set 25-11.
Westmont came back to win the third set 28-26. At 21 points, the Warriors had a 13-4 run and had a .255 attack percentage while Biola followed at .227.
Biola came back in the fourth set to dominate 25-10, and it was in the fifth set that Biola had hopes of winning, but Westmont proved otherwise winning 18-16.
“They just played their hearts out every single point and they were scrappy and nothing really dropped for them and they didn’t give up,” said Weststeyn, who finished the game with 12 kills and 11 blocks.
After this loss, the Eagles were motivated to keep their heads up.
“I think this kind of put a fire underneath us,” Woodruff said, in reference to the game against Westmont. “I think we are going to come out strong [against Point Loma]. We have a lot of excitement and we realize what we need to do so I think it will be a good battle.”
Eagles suffer 3-1 loss to Point Loma Nazarene
Despite scores that were close, especially in the third and fourth sets, the Eagles lost to the Point Loma Sea Lions in a four-set match, 3-1.
Biola had a .267 attack percentage and five errors compared to Point Loma’s .077 and six, giving Biola the win, 25-17, in the first set.
The score was close in the second set. Point Loma took an 18-13 lead, but Biola soon climbed back, 22-19. Again, both teams went back and forth with points, but it was Point Loma that won the second set 25-22.
Pressure was high in the fourth set, resulting in plenty of scoring. Point Loma came back in the game from what was supposed to be a match point for Biola, at 24-22. The game went on and it was two errors by Biola that gave Point Loma the 34-32 win.
In the fifth set the Eagles fought hard and came back from a 24-20 deficit. But it was two kills from Sea Lion senior Tabitha Henken that won the match for Point Loma, and the game.
In the last home game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 5, the team faces off against San Diego Christian College at 7 p.m. They then travel to Fresno Pacific University on Tuesday, Nov. 8 to take on the NAIA No. 9 Sunbirds.
