Biola traveled south to Riverside, Calif. to take on the PacWest-leading California Baptist University Lancers on Oct. 26. The Eagles gave the Lancers all they could handle, battling back and forth in a tightly contested five-set loss.
tight play
The two teams traded points from the start of the first set. A kill from sophomore outside hitter Brooke Watts tied the set at five, but a four point run from the Lancers gave them the 9-5 lead. The Eagles fought back, led by several kills from junior opposite hitter Karly Dantuma, to tie it at 13. Junior middle blocker Sierra Bauder gave Biola a 15-13 edge following a kill. With the score at 23 apiece, a Dantuma kill and CBU hitting error gave Biola the set one win 25-23.
The second set began with both teams playing evenly. An ace from sophomore outside hitter Sabrina Winslow knotted the score up at 14, and freshman middle blocker Bekah Roth later gave the Eagles the lead 19-18 on a kill. However, an impressive seven-point run from the Lancers handed them the set two win 25-19.
In set three the Lancers came out strong, taking control early with an 8-4 lead. They would stretch the lead to 17-8 on an ace as the Eagles struggled to find their rhythm. A Roth kill saved one set point, but CBU would close the set out with a dominant 25-14 win.
Looking to force the Lancers to five sets for the first time this season, the Eagles came out strong in the fourth set, taking a 7-4 lead on a kill from freshman outside hitter Savannah Hilde. An ace from Roth and a string of Lancers hitting errors pushed the lead to 19-13. The Eagles had trouble closing the set out as the Lancers eventually tied it at 24. However, a kill from junior setter Brinley Beresford and an attack error from CBU gave the Eagles a 26-24 win.
Down, but not out
The fifth set did not begin as the Eagles planned, as the Lancers attack put them ahead 6-1. Biola would not go down without a fight though, cutting the lead to 10-8 on a kill from Dantuma. The Lancers offense continued to attack, finishing the match with a 15-11 set win to remain unbeaten on the season.
Dantuma led the Eagles offensively, tallying an impressive 14 kills while Winslow and Beresford put up nine and eight kills, respectively. Beresford put up solid numbers yet again with 40 assists.
Bauder led the defense at the net with seven blocks, followed by Beresford with four. Senior libero Tess Van Grouw racked up 15 digs to lead the back row.
The loss dropped Biola to 8-4 in the PacWest (14-6 overall). They remain third in the conference and return to action at Dixie State University at 5 p.m. on Oct. 28.
