The University of Redlands volleyball team returned to its winning ways with a 3-0 sweep against La Sierra University in a non-conference bout early Friday. Although somewhat sluggish from last night's disappointing loss, the Bulldogs pushed through to edge out the Golden Eagles 25-21, 25-19, 25-19 in Currier Gym.
In the opening set, the Maroon and Gray broke an eight-all tie with freshman setter Alisha Cornick (Hollister, CA) serving out six consecutive points. Freshman outside hitter Morgan Buckner (San Rafael, CA) provided another run of points from the backline, making it a 23-16 game. However, La Sierra cut the lead to three at 24-21 before senior middle blocker Megan Phillips (Vista, CA) secured set point for the Bulldogs on a kill.
The second set saw a tight battle between the two teams with neither one garnering a lead of more than three points until Redlands put up four straight to break a tie at 18. Senior libero Chelsea Arcaris (Vista, CA) served off two aces in the process. The Bulldogs took advantage of four consecutive errors by the Golden Eagles to capture the second stanza with a 25-19 showing.
During the third frame, Redlands jumped out to a solid 8-2 lead with senior outside hitter Jackie Hamilton (Loma Linda, CA) rattling off six straight points from the service line. The Bulldogs never looked back as it kept La Sierra at bay by a minimum of three points through the final whistle.
Redlands gained a team-high 10 kills from Hamilton, while six other Bulldogs contributed two or more put-aways. Phillips and sophomore outside hitter Samantha Dodson (Alamogordo, NM) both recorded solid hitting percentages of .286. Cornick and freshman setter Jennifer Wacker (Longmont, CO) shared setting responsibilities, dishing out 19 and 11 assists, respectively. Arcaris supplied a match-high 24 digs in the three-set victory.
For La Sierra, junior outside hitter/setter Samantha Arriaran led the offense with 22 kills on 51 swings for a hitting percentage of .333. Junior setter/outside hitter Caitlin Haughton provided 18 assists, while junior libero Nikki Cheong came up with a team-leading 16 digs.
Redlands (10-2, 0-1 SCIAC) returns to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action later tonight with a 7:30 p.m. showdown against Caltech in Currier Gym.