The Biola Eagles volleyball team faced off against the No. 18 Southern Oregon University Raiders in Chase Gymnasium at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The Eagles showed up a big way with a 3-1 win, following their three sets to none victory over the No. 4 Viterbo University Hawks in the final match of the Summer Slam tournament the previous Friday. Biola moves to 4-2 in the continuing preseason play.
Backs against the wall
SOU started out on their back foot while Biola came out strong in game one. A hitting percentage of -.125 from the Raiders countered by the .217 made all the difference as Biola steamed on towards a relatively easy 25-14 win.
The Raiders rallied back in the second set to increase their hitting percentage to a positive .212, but Biola also turned things up a notch, recording a .256 percentage, their highest of the night. The Eagles finished the set 25-21, going into the third set with momentum behind them.
Southern Oregon’s all-around play increased drastically in game three, and Biola’s offense seemed stagnant. Both teams earned 13 kills, but Biola’s seven attacking errors combined with a number of other unforced errors proved too much to overcome, and SOU forced a fourth set, taking the third 25-20.
Eagles push for the win
The fourth set ended up as by far the most exciting set of the match, as each team battled back-and-forth. Biola had a five point lead at 12-7, but the Raiders fought back to even the score at 14. The teams then traded points all the way to the end, when Biola pushed the last two points to take the 25-23 win and close out the match.
On the stats side of the match, Hannah van Warmerdam, a sophomore outside hitter, led all hitters with 15 kills. Sophomore opposite Karly Dantuma and sophomore middle Sierra Bauder each contributed 12, with Bauder committing only one attacking error. The Eagles front row, with Bauder and Dantuma tallying five blocks each, supported by four more from junior middle Ally Forsberg.
“We’ve got a whole brand new team, and it’s gonna take some time for them to work together,” said head coach Aaron Seltzer. “But they’re doing a good job. I’m proud of them. They’re working hard.”
Biola faces a long flight to Nebraska this Thursday as they play in the Hasting College Tournament. The first game is against the host Hastings College Broncos on Friday Aug. 26 at 1 pm.
