Both the Eagles’ volleyball team and their counterparts, the Holy Names University Hawks, entered the court at Chase Gymnasium on Nov. 3 wearing nearly identical Adidas-made white uniforms. However, the similarities between the two teams ended there as Biola dominated HNU in straight sets to notch their seventh sweep of the season.
SHAKY FIRST SET
The Eagles came out sloppy in set one. HNU went up 5-4 early on a three-point run helped by a bad set from junior setter Brinley Beresford and an ace that freshman libero Sami Hover could not handle. Biola eventually retook the lead on three straight kills, one each from freshman middle blocker Bekah Roth, redshirt freshman outside hitter Savannah Hilde and junior opposite hitter Stephanie Jewett. The Eagles never trailed from that point forward but could not open up a comfortable lead until late in their 25-20 set win.
“We needed to control the ball a little bit better,” said head coach Aaron Seltzer. “We were kind of spastic [during] the first [set]… we calmed it down and we were fine.”
DOMINATION FOR THE SWEEP
The first set would prove HNU’s best shot at gaining momentum against the Eagles, who dominated from the onset of set two. Biola scored the set’s first six points, highlighted by three kills from sophomore outside hitter Sabrina Winslow. The Eagles’ lead never shrunk to less than four after their initial run as the Hawks made numerous mistakes including four service errors, the last of which came as the final point in a 25-14 Biola win.
The Eagles again came out on fire in set three, scoring 12 of the first 13 points. Junior outside hitter Hannah Van Warmerdam notched three kills during that run and later contributed one of her two aces on the night. Van Warmerdam also forced several of HNU’s 11 attack errors during the set, and her fourth kill of the night sealed Biola’s sweep with a 25-11 win.
VETERANS BACK IN ACTION
After the game, Seltzer expressed gratitude for the opportunity to give bench players like Van Warmerdam, Jewett and senior middle blocker Ally Forsberg heavy playing time. The upperclassmen had not received many chances on the court this year due to battles with injury and the emergence of several key younger players.
“Oh my gosh, it’s amazing [to be playing again],” Forsberg said. “It’s been a journey, but I’m glad to be back out on the court.”
Jewett led all players with seven kills, followed by Winslow with six. Beresford added two blocks and dished out 29 assists. Senior libero Tess Van Grouw had nine digs, Hover had eight and sophomore libero Kaitlin O’Brien notched six. Van Grouw and O’Brien each added an ace as well.
Biola will spring right back into action on Nov. 4 against Dominican University at Chase Gym. The Eagles currently stand at third place in the PacWest with a 17-6 record (10-4 in conference).
