LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The California Lutheran University women's volleyball's defense made a big statement as the Regals beat the Occidental Tigers to sweep the season series. The victory moves Cal Lutheran to 6-3 in SCIAC play.
Occidental started the match off strong with a 9-3 lead. A pair of kills from Sophia Muller stopped the initial run, but the Tigers were able to stretch the lead to 20-11. The Regals charged back behind the serves of seniors Lauren Heller and Maci Haddad to cut the deficit to 20-21. The finish was tight, but saw the Tigers hold on for a 25-23 victory.
The second set stayed tight as the teams were tied at 10-10. The teams traded short runs to another tie at 20-20. Sparked by a block from Maci Haddad and Sadie Peete, the Regals took absolute control and the final 5 points to win the set 25-20 and tie the match at 1.
The time between sets was not enough to slow the Regal's hard earned momentum. In set 3 the defense held the Tigers to a meager 3 total kills. Along with junior Jenna Jones' 11 straight serves to finish off the set led to an absolutely dominant 15-9 final score.
The Regals again decided to ride momentum with Jones as the opening server for set 4. She continued her run for a combined two set serving total of 16 straight serves. With a 5-1 lead in hand, the Regals established control that they would never relinquish. A service ace from sophomore Tess Holbert was the final stroke on a 25-19 victory that was never in doubt.
The Cal Lu defense held the Tigers to a negative team hitting percentage for the match in what was an emphatic 3-1 victory.
The Regals were paced by Maci Haddad who had 14 kills, 7.5 total blocks, and 2 aces for a match leading 22.5 total points. Sophia Muller added 10 kills and Morgan Given earned 9.5 total points as the next two top scorers for the team.
In the back row, Isabella Wade led the way with 25 digs and Julia Trento had 12.
Cal Lutheran will play host to the #2 ranked Athenas of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday at 7pm.
Box Score: CLU 3, OXY 1
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