The University of Redlands volleyball team kicked off the 2010 campaign with an undefeated showing at the Pacific Coast Classic on Friday and Saturday at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer colleges. The Bulldogs downed Manchester College (IN), Ithaca College (NY), and UC Santa Cruz in straight sets and then capped off the tournament with a hard-fought five-setter over Case Western Reserve University (OH).
On Friday, the Maroon and Gray took to the court for the first time this season and came away with a solid 25-16, 25-21, 25-19 win against Manchester. Senior middle blocker Megan Phillips (Vista, CA) paced the attack with a stunning hitting percentage of .412, while senior outside hitter Jackie Hamilton (Loma Linda, CA) provided a team-leading 12 kills for a mark of .319. Freshman setter Alisha Cornick (Hollister, CA) made her collegiate debut and dished out 23 assists in the victory. Senior libero Chelsea Arcaris (Vista, CA) picked up 20 digs on defense.
Playing in back-to-back matches, Redlands never let up by sweeping Ithaca, 26-24, 25-22, 25-21. Cornick continued to distribute the ball well and amassed 30 assists while also knocking down three of her four attacks. Junior right-side hitter Alex Martin (Highlands Ranch, CO) stepped up her game with a .417 performance, which included eight kills and no errors. Junior libero Heather Anthony (Redwood City, CA) racked up 21 digs from the back row.
Redlands returned to action on Saturday and made quick work of the Banana Slugs en route to a 25-20, 25-20, 25-17 sweep. Junior middle blocker Emily Capozzoli (Poway, CA) provided a team-leading 10 kills to go along with a solid hitting percentage of .364. Phillips added seven kills as sophomore outside hitter Samantha Dodson (Alamogordo, NM) put away six. Cornick continued to impress with 32 assists while Anthony provided stellar defense with 29 digs.
In the team's tournament finale, Redlands rallied for an exciting 25-16, 18-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-13 victory over Case Western to remain undefeated on the year. Hamilton and Phillips both hit the double-digit mark with 15 and 10 kills, respectively. Freshman outside hitter Morgan Buckner (San Rafael, CA) came up with six kills with only one error for a hitting percentage of .238. Arcaris dominated the back row with her 53-dig performance while Cornick supplied 43 assists and 13 digs.
Redlands (4-0) heads to Thousand Oaks on Friday and Saturday for the Cal-Lu-Fornia Invitational. The Bulldogs take on Northwest Conference foes Whitman College (WA) and Lewis & Clark College (OR) on Friday at 5 and 7 p.m., respectively, before facing LeTourneau University (TX) and Augustana College (IL) on Saturday.
