With the Bulldogs riding a five-match winning streak, the University of Redlands volleyball team was primed to give Head Coach Mari Burningham her first win against Cal Lutheran University. Unfortunately, that accomplishment will have to wait as the Regals took down the Bulldogs in four sets.

Redlands faltered in the opening stanza, 19-25, and then evened the score by winning the second set, 25-18. Despite sitting on set point at 24-17 in the third game, Redlands gave up eight straight points, resulting in the 26-28 heartbreaking loss. With the momentum clearly on the side of Cal Lutheran, the Bulldogs suffered a 25-14 defeat in the fourth set and therefore lost the match, 1-3.

Junior outside hitter Jackie Hamilton (Loma Linda, CA) led the Bulldog offense with 13 kills, while junior middle blocker Megan Phillips (Vista, CA) tallied 11. Senior setter Kelina Smith (Kurtistown, HI) distributed 36 assists and senior libero Lauren Harding (Altadena, CA) came up with a match-leading 34 digs.

This match kicked off the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) season for both teams.

The Bulldogs (5-3, 0-1 SCIAC) look to bounce back on Friday with a 7:30 p.m. match against the Athenas of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Currier Gym.