The University of Redlands women's volleyball team took a break from Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action Sunday afternoon and swept Mills College in straight sets (25-8, 25-10, 25-12) for its second three-set win in a row.
Redlands (5-13) grabbed the win with a balanced offense, with senior setter Emily Marty (San Diego, CA) dishing out 26 assists. While no Bulldog finished with double-digit kills, freshman middle blocker Sydney Feenstra (Blaine, WA) had a stellar day with seven kills on a .750 hitting clip. Senior middle blocker Sofia Olsson (Cupertino, CA) also posted a team-high seven kills in the match.
The Bulldogs were deadly at the service line, finishing with 13 total aces. Sophomore outside hitter Paige Davidson (Spanaway, WA) had three herself, while seven other Bulldogs had at least one ace in the match.
UR opened the first set with a 7-1 run and kept rolling. With Marty at the service line, the Bulldogs scored six-straight points to all but seal the set victory. The Cyclones managed to cut the run briefly, but kills from Olsson and sophomore outside hitter Natalie Starlin (Las Vegas, NV) – along with a Mills error – gave Redlands the 25-8 win.
The Cyclones looked to turn things around in the second and scored the first two points, but the Bulldogs recomposed themselves and evened the game 6-6 on a kill from Davidson, before extending their lead to 15-7. Davidson fueled the 9-1 run at the service line, putting down three aces in that span.
After taking the second set 25-10, the Bulldogs were fired up to finish the match in three. Mills gave Redlands a challenge in the opening rallies, however, and kept the score close before the Bulldogs could push out in front.
Mills cut the margin to two points, 8-10, but back-to-back kills from Feenstra and another from Starlin but the Bulldogs back in control. Redlands extended its lead to 20-10 before the Cyclones called a timeout, but it was too late as the home team took the set 25-12 to win the three-set sweep.
Redlands will look to carry momentum as it gets back into SCIAC action on Tuesday, hosting Whittier at 7 p.m.
