Biola returned home to take on the Life Pacific University Warriors in a National Christian College Athletic Association playoff regional on Oct. 31. With a sweep of the Warriors, the Eagles qualified for the NCCAA championships on Nov. 16-18.
EAGLES STORM OUT OF THE GATES
“I think we feel pretty confident going in. We’ve been playing really consistently lately,” said junior setter Brinley Beresford. “I’m excited I think we have a pretty good shot of maybe coming away with a win at the tournament.”
In set one, the Eagles quickly showed their superiority, jumping ahead 12-3 on several aces from senior libero Tess Van Grouw. Freshman middle blocker Bekah Roth tallied an ace of her own to put Biola ahead 16-7 later in the set, and junior middle blocker Sierra Bauder gave the Eagles a 21-8 lead on a kill. They closed out the set on a Warriors hitting error to win 25-11.
More of the same ensued in set two, as the Eagles built an early lead. A Bauder kill put them on top 9-3 early and they never looked back. A perfectly placed tip from Beresford put Biola up 15-6 further into the set. Van Grouw picked up another ace to put the Eagles ahead 19-9, and they benefitted from several more Warriors attack errors to take the set 25-17.
BIOLA RALLIES FOR THE SWEEP
With the Eagles resting most of their starters, set three began a bit slower. The Warriors capitalized on several Biola errors to claim a 14-6 lead. With the score at 19-10, the Eagles started to claw back into the set. Junior outside hitter Stephanie Jewett picked up several kills to tighten the score to 19-13, and Biola made one final push after LPU took a 22-16 lead. Junior outside hitter Hannah Van Warmerdam notched two kills as the Eagles came all the way back to tie it at 22 on a six-point run, then Van Warmerdam and Jewett closed the sweep with back-to-back kills to take the set 25-23.
“I liked the end, gutting it up and being down a bunch, I don’t know what we were down but we were down a bunch at some point, seeing them fight their way back,” said head coach Aaron Seltzer. “I think with these guys I don’t feel like we’re ever out of it, they just found a way to win so that was good.”
ALL-AROUND EFFORT FROM BERESFORD
Warmerdam led the offense tallying eight kills. Beresford followed with seven kills and Bauder put up six. Beresford continued her strong play, dishing out 35 assists to staple a dominant offensive effort from the Eagles.
Senior middle blocker Ally Forsberg played well at the net with four stuffs and Beresford picked up two. Van Grouw tallied 12 digs and four aces in an impressive all-around effort.
The Eagles begin a seven-game homestand against Holy Names University at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3.
