REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands women's volleyball team won their opening set against Whittier College Friday evening but were unable to continue their momentum as they lost 3-1 inside Currier Gym.
The Bulldogs opened the match on fire, winning eight of the first 11 points. They used service aces from Paige Sugg (Federal Way, WA), Laural Pittman (Los Angeles, CA), and Lyric Waterman (Aurora, CO) to build the advantage.
The Poets closed the gap to two, 9-7, but a service error and two kills from Sugg opened the lead to four, 12-8.
Whittier again got within two, 14-12, and again the Bulldogs offense responded, this time with a 6-1 run. Kiana Stradford (Mission Viejo, CA) was the leader during the run with three kills as the Bulldog lead was seven, 20-13.
For a third time the Poets tried to make a comeback, this time with a 7-1 as the lead was cut to one, 21-20. Redlands used three consecutive kills from Sugg and a service ace from Stradford to win the first set, 25-20.
The Bulldogs never led in the second set, trailing 3-0. Redlands was able to stay within striking distance, trailing 9-6, but Whittier put the set to bed with a 13-2 run as the second set went the way of the Poets, 25-11.
With match even at a set apiece, the Bulldogs put themselves behind the eight-ball by falling behind 7-2. Kylie Martin (Centennial, CO) made it a three-point deficit, 11-8, after a kill off a Waterman assist.
With the lead still at three, 12-9, the Poets took control of the third set with a 12-3 run. The Bulldogs made a late push, but the deficit was too large as Whittier took a 2-1 lead.
Unlike the second and third sets, the Bulldogs scored first and held the lead 8-5. Stradford had two kills, Sugg had one kill, and Avery Aminoff (Alexandria, VA) also had a kill. Shelby Dawson (Fontana, CA) had four assists in those opening eight points.
In similar fashion to the previous two sets, the Poets took firm control of the set with a big run, this time a 17-4 run that gave them the 22-12 advantage. The Bulldogs won four-straight to make it a six-point game, 22-16. Avery Heidebrecht (Portland, OR) had a kill during that stretch before the Poets won three-straight to win the set and match.
Sugg was had a game-high 14 kills and added six digs. Stradford had an all-around game with 12 digs, seven kills, four total blocks, two assists, and a service ace. Delani Nevarez (Highland, CA) played her biggest role of the season with 11 digs and four sets played. Waterman missed a double-double by one dig as she had 14 assists and nine digs.
The Bulldogs will play their second of a back-to-back tomorrow evening against Occidental on the road at 6:00 p.m.
