Year two of NCAA Division II play started with a bang for Biola Volleyball Friday when the Eagles beat Dixie State University in a five-set thriller that needed extra points to be decided. However, the team quickly got a gut check when it fell in four sets to Cal State Monterey Bay in its second match of the day.
DSU won the first set of the opening match, but the Eagles struck back in set two and the teams traded victories in sets three and four as well. They then opened up a 14-12 lead in the fifth set with a shot at match point. Then the Trailblazers rallied to tie the set at 14.
The score went back and forth before a key block from senior setter Brinley Beresford and senior middle blocker Sierra Bauder sealed a 18-16 set win for Biola, clinching the match.
Bauder led with 18 kills followed by 13 from junior outside hitter Sabrina Winslow. In her first career start, sophomore libero Sami Hover recorded 23 digs while Winslow contributed with 16. Beresford had 31 assists with sophomore setter Vanessa Garcia adding 19 more.
The Eagles had a chance to take an early advantage in their second match of the day, leading 24-21 over CSUMB in set one. However, the Otters rattled off five straight points to stun the Eagles with a 26-24 set win.
Biola struck back with a 25-16 win in the next set, but dropped sets three and four by identical scores of 25-21.
The Eagles took a step back on offense as Winslow led with only 12 kills while senior opposite hitter Karly Dantuma added 11. Garcia had a team-high 22 assists while Bresford only added 13. Hover and junior libero Kaitlin O’Brien split the workload evenly on defense, notching 13 and 12 digs respectively.
Both matches were part of the Fairfield Invitational hosted by Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. The Eagles play the home team, 19th-ranked NNU, at 1 p.m. Saturday.
