With persistence and determination, the University of Redlands volleyball team captured an exciting 3-2 win against the visiting Poets of Whittier College on Friday in Currier Gym, ending the team's recent skid at 13 matches. While going five sets for the second Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) contest in a row, the Bulldogs prevailed over the Poets by scores of 25-17, 25-16, 21-25, 21-25, 17-15.
Redlands came out on fire in the first two sets, taking an early lead with solid defense and a prolific attack. During the opener, the Bulldogs broke two ties in the early goings and then took control of the lead en route to the win. Sophomore libero Karly Burningham (Sonoma, CA) closed out the frame with the first of her two aces on the night.
The Maroon and Gray's momentum continued through the second stanza, with the team garnering a 4-0 lead with sophomore middle blocker Marisa Gile (Yucaipa, CA) at the service line. She recorded one of her two aces on the night, while freshman middle blocker Allison Jensen (Redlands, CA) put away a kill for the Bulldogs. From here, Redlands remained in control by utilizing its strongest offensive showing of the match, which came off of 13 kills and a .345 hitting percentage. Gile led the effort with five of her 10 kills during this set.
However, the Poets refused to go away, adjusting their offense for their best efforts in the subsequent two sets and evening the count at two apiece.
In the fifth and deciding frame, Whittier jumped out to an early 7-3 advantage but a timely service error breathed new life into the Bulldogs. Redlands closed to within 6-8 at the side-change and then eventually clawed back to tie it up at 12 all.
A Poet error and a Jensen kill gave match point to the Maroon and Gray. But a pair of impressive blocks by Whittier took the opportunity away from Redlands and forced another comeback by the Bulldogs.
With Whittier serving match point, the Bulldogs watched as a Poet attack crashed into the net before the dynamic duo of sophomore outside hitter Ashton Martin (Redlands, CA) and Gile put up a fierce block to earn match point once again.
This time a tough serve by Burningham resulted in yet another Poet error, giving the hard-fought win to the Bulldogs.
Burningham led the defensive effort from the back row by racking up a team-high 26 digs. After the match, she spoke about the meaning of this victory and the standout play of the defense.
At the net, Redlands finished with 13 total blocks, as Gile contributed 10 block assists. She also knocked down 10 kills on offense.
Senior outside hitter Morgan Buckner (San Rafael, CA) spearheaded the Bulldogs' offense with 18 kills for a game-high. She also tallied 14 digs and four block assists. Martin recorded nine kills at a .250 clip to go along with three block assists.
Finally, the Maroon and Gray used three different setters in the match, with senior Alisha Cornick (Hollister, CA) leading the trio with 26 assists.
Redlands (6-18, 3-9 SCIAC) heads to Thousand Oaks on Saturday for a 6 p.m. match against the third-ranked Regals of Cal Lutheran University.
