The University of Redlands volleyball team traveled to the University of La Verne on Tuesday, squaring off with the Leopards in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action. While going five sets for just the second time this season, the Bulldogs suffered a tight defeat by scores of 25-23, 25-27, 25-22, 11-25, 13-15.
During the opening set, the teams battled it out in back-and-forth showdown that included multiple tie scores and lead changes. Finally at 20-all, Redlands gained consecutive positive points with a kill by freshman middle blocker Allison Jensen (Redlands, CA) and an ace by freshman setter Ellie McLeod (Redlands, CA). However, the Leopards responded to tie the score once again at 23. The squads traded errors before senior outside hitter Morgan Buckner (San Rafael, CA) stepped up with one of her team-leading 22 kills to close out the set at 25-23.
But La Verne answered right back with a close victory of its own to even the count.
The third set saw Redlands recover from a four-point deficit to eventually earn a 2-1 lead in the overall match score. Both teams struggled with errors through the middle portion of the frame, until sophomore middle blocker Marisa Gile (Yucaipa, CA) fired off back-to-back kills to knot the score at 20 apiece. In addition to converting points on a pair of big blocks, the Bulldogs advanced their score with well-timed kills by Gile and sophomore outside hitter Ashton Martin (Redlands, CA) for the 25-22 decision.
Again, the Leopards responded with a strong showing in the fourth set, running away with that one by an impressive score.
However, with the match tied at two each, the Bulldogs faced another deficit, going down 1-4 and then 4-7 in the fifth and deciding frame. Big plays by Buckner and Jensen, and then McLeod and Martin led the team back into the set, inching their way to 13-14. However, the Leopards (6-21, 3-9 SCIAC) closed out the final point, handing a tough defeat to the Bulldogs.
Buckner led the team with 22 kills on a .210 hitting percentage while also providing 15 digs. Jensen tallied a .381 attack mark with nine kills, while Martin uncorked 10 kills for the Maroon and Gray. Senior libero Brittney Overgaag (Palm Desert, CA) led the defensive effort with 33 digs.
Redlands (5-18, 2-9 SCIAC) welcomes SCIAC foe, Whittier College, to Currier Gym on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. match. Fans may follow the action via live stats and video streaming at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/redlands.portal#.