Redlands Women's Volleyball Falters to Caltech and Life Pacific in Final Matches of 2017

Photo credit: Mollie Craighead
Photo credit: Mollie Craighead

The University of Redlands women's volleyball team took to the road for its final two contests of the 2017 season and came up against a pair of relentless opponents in Caltech and Life Pacific College.  The Bulldogs dropped both matches in a difficult Saturday doubleheader in Pasadena. 

Redlands faced a two-set deficit against the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foes from Caltech but managed to rally back with wins in the third and fourth sets.  Unfortunately, the Bulldogs fell short in their first five-setter of the 2017 season, 22-25, 23-25, 25-21, 31-29, 9-15.

Sophomore outside hitter Christina Casey (Sherwood, OR) led the Maroon and Gray with 13 kills, while sophomore right-side hitter Melanie Fyda (Chicago, IL) provided 12.  The offense was evenly distributed between junior setter Jackie Andrade (Seattle, WA) and sophomore setter Emily Marty (Chula Vista, CA) with 24 and 26 assists, respectively.  Senior libero Abigail Hickman (Phoenix, AZ) provided a team-high 23 digs, while Fyda, Marty, Andrade, and freshman defensive specialist Ally Busch (Long Beach, CA) supplied 11 or more.

Against Life Pacific, Redlands won the opening set with relative ease after building a 15-10 lead. But the Warriors refused to go away and stormed back to take the next three.

The Bulldogs gained seven kills from Casey and six from sophomore right-side hitter Megan Houston (Normandy Park, WA).  Hickman registered 22 digs and three aces.

Redlands closes out the campaign with a 6-19 overall record and a 2-14 mark in SCIAC for eighth place.