The University of Redlands volleyball team capped off a busy week of matches with a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown against the No. 6 Regals of Cal Lutheran University on Saturday afternoon in Currier Gym. The Bulldogs battled to stay within striking distance through the early portion of each set, but struggled to contain the opponent's efficient offense. The Maroon and Gray came up short in straight sets, 17-25, 16-25, 14-25.
Redlands trailed only once in the opening 11 points of action, as an early kill by senior Marisa Gile (Yucaipa, CA) set the tone. Sophomore middle blocker Kiersten Langerud (Williamsburg, VA) and freshman outside hitter Kaylee Burdick (Sun Valley, CA) followed that up with an impressive block before adding kills of their own to eventually make it 6-5 for the Bulldogs.
However, the Regals regrouped to find their rhythm and slowly pulled away, with a 6-0 run sealing their fate for the first-set victory.
Early momentum favored the Bulldogs in the second set as well, with Gile finding hardwood for a pair of kills and joining forces with senior middle blocker Ashton Martin (Redlands, CA) for a nice block to make it 4-2.
But CLU answered with a few scoring runs to remain ahead for the duration before carrying that success into the third set.
Gile paced the Bulldogs with eight kills while hitting .533 on the day without an error.
Burdick chipped in seven kills, while sophomore outside hitter Kailee McCoy (Chandler, AZ) added six.
Senior Lauren Ellingwood (Kirkland, WA) and junior Ellie McLeod (Redlands, CA) shared time as the team's setter, distributing 17 and seven assists, respectively. McLeod led all Bulldogs with seven digs as well.
Redlands (5-10, 1-6 SCIAC) strives to bounce back when it travels to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Tuesday, October 6, for a 7:30 p.m. match against the 11th-ranked Athenas.
