The University of Redlands women's volleyball team closed out the Pacific Coast Classic on Saturday with a pair of losses to non-conference foes. First, the Bulldogs came up short in straight sets to Wentworth Institute of Technology (MA) before suffering a 1-3 loss to Carroll University (WI).
The Maroon and Gray battled Wentworth in the morning tilt while orchestrating a .259 hitting percentage in the opening frame. Unfortunately, it was not enough to push them past the Leopards in a 21-25, 23-25, 17-25 loss.
Leading the Bulldogs' offense, sophomore outside hitter Paige Davidson (Spanaway, WA) knocked down 11 kills, while senior outside hitter Christina Casey (Sherwood, OR) crushed eight. Sophomore setter Tati Luevano (San Pablo CA) dished out 17 assists, as junior libero Ally Busch (Long Beach, CA) supplied 26 digs.
Redlands and Carroll forced 14 ties in a tight first set, with the Bulldogs eking out the 26-24 win. However, they struggled to maintain that momentum throughout the match and lost the subsequent frames, 14-25, 20-25, and 24-26.
Senior right-side hitter Maloree Kupp (Sunnyside, WA) led the attack with 15 kills, while junior middle blocker Hannah Lanyon (San Diego, CA), and sophomore outside hitters Natalie Starlin (Las Vegas, NV) and Taylor Dengan (Atascadero, CA) combined for 27 additional kills. Lanyon and Kupp also patrolled the net by earning eight block assists. Senior setter Emily Marty (San Diego, CA) and Luevano shared the ball-distribution duties with 22 and 20 assists, respectively. Busch remained steady by stepping up with 32 digs, five assists, and two service aces.
Redlands (0-4) looks forward to hosting the University of St. Katherine on Thursday, September 5, for its home opener in Currier Gym at 7 p.m.
