On Thursday night, the University of Redlands volleyball team competed in the friendly confines of Currier Gym for the first time this season, earning a solid 3-0 sweep against West Coast Baptist College in non-conference action. While using a proficient attack and a diversified line-up, the Bulldogs cruised to the win by scores of 25-17, 25-19, 25-17.
After a back-and-forth battle to start the opening set, the Maroon and Gray enjoyed an 8-1 run en route to the eight-point victory. Sophomore middle blocker Kiersten Langerud's (Willamsburg, VA) quality serving helped propel the Bulldogs during this stretch, as she was at the back line for the first three points.
Once the serve was back on Redlands' side, junior setter Ellie McLeod (Redlands, CA) stepped back to uncork three of her four aces to cap off the scoring spurt.
The Bulldogs completed the first-set triumph on the heels of three-straight kills, with each coming from a different player. Freshman outside hitter Kaylee Burdick (Sun Valley, CA) blasted the first, while Langerud and sophomore outside hitter Kailee McCoy (Yucaipa, CA) took care of business in the subsequent two to secure the victory.
During the second set, Redlands came out firing and never trailed to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Bulldogs quickly turned a 10-9 advantage into a 20-15-lead, thanks in part to simple consistency. Junior outside hitter Addison Fonseca (Santa Cruz, CA) provided the exclamation point to this run with one of her five kills for the match.
The third set saw the tightest showing between the teams, as seven tie scores occurred in the early part of the frame. Redlands broke the final knotted count at nine-all with back-to-back kills, as Langerud and Burdick found hardwood.
The Bulldogs kept WCBC at bay with tough serving, headlined by sophomore libero Abby Hickman's (Phoenix, AZ) two aces to make it 20-12.
Burdick led the offense through the final whistle while providing the last two points of the match with consecutive kills.
Overall, Burdick impressed in her home debut by knocking down a match-high 13 kills en route to a .429 hitting percentage. Langerud backed her with seven kills at a clip of .400.
McLeod and senior setter Lauren Ellingwood (Kirkland, WA) teamed up for the ball-distribution duties, dishing out 17 and 10 assists, respectively.
WCBC's Kiera Southern led the Lady Eagles with 11 kills, while Hannah DeLeon provided 10 digs.
Redlands (3-3) opens Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Tuesday, September 15, when the Bulldogs host Pomona-Pitzer Colleges at 7:30 p.m. in Currier Gym.
