The University of Redlands women's volleyball team competed at home in Currier Gym on Tuesday night for a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.  The Bulldogs struggled to counter the Sagehens' effective attack and fell in straight sets, 18-25, 17-25, 18-25.

During the opening set, the Maroon and Gray battled to a nine-all tie with freshman outside hitter Christina Casey (Sherwood, OR), sophomore outside hitter Kaylee Burdick (Sun Valley, CA), freshman middle hitter Sammi Tafoya (Granite Bay, CA), and freshman middle hitter Sofia Olsson (Cupertino, CA) each finding hardwood.  However, Pomona-Pitzer fired off a 9-2 run to pull away for the eventual first-set win.

Amidst many long and intense rallies, the Bulldogs provided athletic plays and huge saves, but ultimately succumbed to their own errors at more than a few critical junctures of the match. 

Already down two sets, Redlands momentarily held off the Sagehens with three-consecutive kills late in the third.  With senior setter Ellie McLeod (Redlands, CA) finding the right hitter at the right time, Burdick, freshman opposite Megan Houston (Normandy Park, WA), and Olsson teamed up for a formidable offensive surge.  In addition, the Maroon and Gray defense limited Pomona-Pitzer's offense to a .116 showing in the third set, thanks in part to freshman libero Lauren Lux (San Jose, CA), McLeod, and Burdick providing huge defensive plays.

Unfortunately, it was not enough for the Bulldogs.

Overall, Olsson produced a solid hitting percentage of .429 off of 10 kills and 21 attacks.   Burdick added seven kills, while Houston knocked down six.  McLeod dished out 28 assists in the loss.  Defensively, Lux tallied 17 digs in the match, as Burdick finished the night with 15 digs.

Redlands (11-11, 2-10 SCIAC) heads to Caltech on Friday, October 21, for a 7 p.m. match against the Beavers.