The Eagles traveled south on Oct. 12 to take on Point Loma Nazarene University, looking to avenge a five-set loss at home to the Sea Lions on Sept. 23. Biola got their revenge with a convincing four-set win over PLNU.
In the first set, the Sea Lions jumped out to a 12-9 lead off of several Eagles errors. The lead would stretch to 19-14, but the Eagles pushed until they eventually took a 22-21 lead. A kill from sophomore outside hitter Sabrina Winslow gave the Eagles two set points at 24-22, and they closed on a kill from sophomore outside hitter Brooke Watts to take the first set 25-23.
Point Loma started strong in the second set, taking an 8-4 lead early. They then stretched the lead to 17-12 off a block as they took command of the set. Biola continued to push as several kills from junior opposite hitter Karly Dantuma closed the gap to 19-16. The Eagles took a timeout with the Sea Lions up 23-21 and immediately got a kill from Watts and a block from junior middle blocker Sierra Bauder to force a Point Loma timeout with the score at 23-23. Watts took the set to 26-24 with a final kill in another impressive comeback.
The third set found Biola leading 17-12 thanks to some strong net play from freshman middle blocker Bekah Roth. The Sea Lions rallied to tie it at 19, forcing a Biola timeout. The Eagles retook the lead and had set point at 24-22, but Point Loma rattled off four straight points to close out a 26-24 set win and avoid the sweep.
The fourth set began with a 5-3 Point Loma lead, but Biola responded with a four-point run punctuated by a kill from Bauder. The Sea Lions pushed back, taking an 11-9 lead off an Eagles hitting error. The set went back and forth from there, with Biola clawing back to tie it at 19 apiece. Several clutch kills from Winslow pushed the Eagles’ lead to 24-22 and they survived 25-23 on a Bauder kill to finish the match with a 3-1 win.
Winslow dominated on offense with an astounding 21 kills and many timely hits to push the Eagles to the win. Bauder played strong as well, tallying 13 kills, while Watts finished with 12. Freshman setter Vanessa Garcia had a breakout performance as she dished out 40 assists to lead the Eagles’ attack.
Biola’s dominant blocking effort continued to make a difference as Roth recorded seven stuffs. Senior libero Tess Van Grouw played well from the back row, keeping many rallies alive en route to 27 digs.
Biola’s record now sits at 11-5 (5-3 PacWest). The Eagles return to action on Oct. 18 at Holy Names University at 6 p.m.
