The University of Redlands volleyball team battled it out with the visiting Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Saturday night, showing great competitive spirit and determination amongst the long rallies. However, a first-set win was not enough to carry the Bulldogs, as they fell in four sets by scores of 25-20, 18-25, 17-25, 21-25.
The Maroon and Gray came out firing in the opening stanza, earning a quick 9-1 lead over the Sagehens. During this spurt, the Bulldogs put away six kills, with junior middle blocker Ashton Martin (Redlands, CA), freshman right-side hitter Becky Matthews (Auburn, CA), freshman middle blocker Kiersten Langerud (Williamsburg, VA), and freshman outside hitter Addison Fonseca (Santa Cruz, CA) finding hardwood for the home squad.
Although Pomona-Pitzer cut the deficit to four at 6-10, Redlands maintained its advantage through the final whistle, with impressive defense from senior libero Courtney Johnson (Dana Point, CA), freshman defensive specialist Abigail Hickman (Phoenix, AZ), and junior defensive specialist Karly Burningham (Sonoma, CA) playing a big part in the victory.
During the remaining three sets, the Bulldogs continued to battle but could not pull away from the Sagehens.
Overall, the Maroon and Gray impressed at the net with 11.5 blocks, as compared to Pomona-Pitzer's six. Martin offered six block assists, while Matthews added four.
Langerud and Fonseca provided a balanced attack with 10 kills apiece. Martin chipped in nine, while Matthews added six.
Johnson finished the night with 26 digs, while sophomore setter Ellie McLeod (Redlands, CA) provided 32 assists, 11 digs, and three block assists for the Bulldogs.
Offensively, the Sagehens relied heavily on Allie Frappier, who took 74 swings en route to 32 kills for a hitting percentage of .324. She also added 23 digs for the Sagehens.
On Friday night, Redlands dropped a three-setter to No. 2 Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, 17-25, 14-25, 19-25. Martin recorded a team-high six kills, while Johnson provided 12 digs.
Redlands (2-18, 2-12 SCIAC) travels to Occidental College on Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. match against the Tigers.