WHITTIER, Calif. – The University of Redlands Volleyball team dropped a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) game Friday night on the road getting swept by Whittier College 25-18, 25-12, 25-20.
The Bulldogs fall to 0-11, 0-7 SCIAC, while Whittier improves to 8-8, 4-3 SCIAC.
Redlands and Whittier played the opening set close, matching each other with five ties. Katie Allbery (Spokane, WA), Avery Aminoff (Alexandria, VA), and Kylie Martin (Centennial, CO) all had kills in the opening five points.
Following an 8-0 Poet run that gave them the 15-6 lead, the Bulldogs got two points back with another kill from Allbery and an attacking error from Whittier. The Poets though winning five of the next six as the UR deficit grew to eleven, 20-9.
Down double-digits late in the set the Bulldogs put together a comeback executing their offense going on an 8-2 run that brought them within five, 22-17, their smallest deficit since trailing 11-6. Aminoff hit twice and Lyric Waterman (Aurora, CO) and Ella Goettsche (Eastvale, CA) each added a pair of assists during the run.
Despite the grind that pressured the Purple & Gold, the deficit was too large to overcome as they fell 25-18.
The Bulldogs and Poets again had a back and forth start to the second set, sitting tied at five through the first ten points. Kiana Stradford (Mission Viejo, CA) and Paige Sugg (Federal Way, WA) each had kills to open the set.
The kill from Sugg made it 4-5 and sparked five unanswered, as Redlands would go in front 7-5. Sugg served for three of the winning points and scored off her serve for the ace to give the Bulldogs' their first lead of the set.
After a positive run of play for the Maroon and Grey, Whittier finished the set off winning twenty of the next twenty five points to go in front 2-0.
Aminoff and Sugg scored two of the first three points in the third set, but with the period tied at three, the Poets went on an 8-0 run. The following eight points saw each team match the other with a point as the score sat at 15-7, Poets.
The Bulldogs made another late run trailing 20-12, this time getting within five, 21-16. The Bulldogs took advantage of three Poet errors and got a pair of kills from Goettsche and Sugg. But for the second time the run would come up short as they dropped the third and final set 25-20.
Redlands spread the offense around with four players posting four kills or more: Maddy Schonauer (Bakersfield, CA), Allbery, Sugg, and Aminoff. The Bulldogs' offense was run by a pair of first-years, Waterman and Goettsche who both dished out 10 assists.
The Bulldogs will end their week inside Currier Gym tomorrow Saturday, October 8 at 3:00 p.m. when they host Occidental College.