Despite a dynamic start to Friday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match, the University of Redlands volleyball team struggled to sustain its rhythm against the visiting Occidental College Tigers and fell by scores of 25-21, 18-25, 14-25, 22-25.
With effective play at the net, the Bulldogs erupted in the opening set to take a commanding 6-1 lead. Freshman outside hitter Kaylee Burdick (Sun Valley, CA) set the tone with a pair of quick kills and joined junior setter Ellie McLeod (Redlands, CA) and senior middle blocker Ashton Martin (Redlands, CA) to make an impressive blocking trio that combined for three of the team's seven total blocks on the night.
Burdick continued to carry the Bulldog offense by cranking off six of the team's 12 kills during the 25-21, opening-set victory.
However, the Tigers responded in the subsequent two sets, earning early leads and never looking back.
During the fourth set, Redlands rallied to make things interesting, as the score remained close through the final whistle. At 18-all, the Tigers created the biggest lead of the stanza with four-straight points.
Nonetheless, a well-timed kill by Burdick put the Bulldogs right back in it. The teams then traded kills, with sophomore outside hitter Kailee McCoy (Chandler, AZ) finding hardwood to make it 20-23.
A big-time ace by freshman setter Jackie Andrade (Seattle, WA) inspired the Bulldog faithful and forced an Oxy timeout.
Down 22-24, Redlands gained what appeared to be a kill by McCoy but conflicting calls by the officials led to a replay of the point, which ultimately went in favor of the Tigers to win the match.
Burdick and McCoy led the Maroon and Gray with 11 kills apiece, while McLeod distributed 32 assists. Sophomore libero Abby Hickman (Phoenix, AZ) supplied 19 digs, while Martin stepped up with four block assists. Sophomore middle blocker Kiersten Langerud (Williamsburg, VA) added five kills and two solo blocks.
For Oxy (2-3, 1-0 SCIAC), Strohm fired off 22 kills, while Amanda Herold and Allie Sundara added 13 and 10, respectively. Sarah Beene dished out 28 assists, while Strohm led the Tigers with 21 digs.
Redlands (3-5, 0-2 SCIAC) strives to rebound on Saturday, September 19, when it travels to Chapman University for a 6 p.m. conference showdown with the Panthers.
