THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—Cal Lutheran freshman middle Maci Haddad tied a career-high with 15 kills, while hitting with an impressive .667 percentage, giving the Regals their first win in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) as they swept the Redlands Bulldogs in three sets (25-16, 25-9, 25-18) Tuesday night in Gilbert Arena.
Cal Lutheran is 7-6 on the season and moves into 1-1 in SCIAC play. The Bulldogs now sit 6-5 overall and are 0-3 in the SCIAC.
Offensively, outside hitter Amanda Roberts tallied nine kills of her own, along with middle Paris Dosch who had eight. On the defensive side, libero Carly Rose Howard had her seventh game with 20-plus digs as she recorded 20 on the night. Sarah Hein added 13 digs of her own, along with Roberts who dug 19.
Setter Steph Rolfson helped show the love as she recorded 33 assists for the Regals. She added nine digs and three kills to her stat line.
The Regals got off to a rocky start in the first set. With Cal Lutheran up 10-9, the Regals came alive and went on a 7-1 run. Haddad made her mark by finding a spot between two Redlands defenders, getting a kill from the middle.
Haddad then made her presence known on the defensive side by making a huge solo block. Hein and Lauren Heller contributed by swatting down kills of their own, sending the Bulldogs into a timeout with CLU up 17-10.
Cal Lutheran increased its lead as Roberts had a hard kill, pushing the Regals to set point. CLU won the first set 25-16 and took a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Regals kept the ball rolling in the second set with another kill from Dosch as she found the back row. Haddad came in swinging two plays later for another kill.
After monopolizing on the Bulldogs' errors, Cal Lutheran gained an eight-point lead off another kill from Haddad coming in from the right side. The kill forced Redlands into another timeout. The Regals' offense continued to put up the points and took the second set 25-9. CLU combined for a hitting percentage of .394 on the set.
The Regals started off the third set with Hein and Dosch combining for a huge block on the outside. Roberts added a kill of her own to keep Cal Lutheran in motion.
Though the Bulldogs tried to fight back, Heller came in clutch with an ace. The play was followed by Haddad coming off the right side yet again to find a gap in the back row for another kill. Amy McKee also placed a kill to the back row to put Cal Lutheran up 10-9.
Later in the set, the Regals went on a five-point run and recorded all five points coming off kills. Roberts and Haddad each had two kills apiece, with Heller adding one of her own.
A notable play was Howard making a diving save to the left of the net, keeping the ball in play, for Rolfson to set up Roberts who then nailed a ball down the line, putting CLU ahead 20-14.
The Regals finished out the match with another kill by Haddad as she found her way around the block. CLU secured the game with a final score of 25-18 and swept the Bulldogs.
After opening the season against top competition, the Regals are ready for their run through SCIAC. The Regals take on the Caltech Beavers Friday at 7 p.m. in Pasadena, Calif.
Interview with Amanda Roberts and Sarah Hein:
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director; Alexa Barnes, Sports Information Assistant
