Costa Mesa, CA - After
a grueling five game win over Hope International University last night, the
Golden Eagles traveled to Vanguard University for two matches. The quick turnaround meant that La Sierra
would have to face the No. 4 team in the nation, Biola University, in the
morning, followed by the host, Vanguard University in the afternoon match. The Golden Eagles put up a fight in two of
the three games versus the fourth ranked Eagles and would follow up with a
three-game loss to the Lions.
The Golden Eagles were slow out of the starting blocks in
the first match of the day, losing Game 1, 25-13. Games 2 and 3 proved to be a much different
story with the Golden Eagles matching Biola every step of the way. Unfortunately for La Sierra, they were unable
to get over the hump and would eventually lose, 24-26 and 22-25.
Leading the team in kills was Shelby Madigan with nine, as
well as nine digs, also a team high.
Lina Semaia added six kills and Colleen Stafford finished with 13
assists.
In the second match of the day, the Lions grabbed the early
momentum by taking advantage of a late run for the 25-20 win. Vanguard jumped out to an early 10-3 lead in
Game 2 and cruised to a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Lions pulled out to a 12-7 in Game 3, before La Sierra put together
a run to cut into the lead, at 13-11.
But that would be as close as the Golden Eagles would get. The Golden Eagles did their best to swing
that momentum, but came up short, losing the match in three straight games,
25-20, 25-13, 25-18.
In the second match of the day, it was Semaia who led the
team with nine kills. Madigan added 14
digs and six kills. Stafford had 18
assists and eight digs. Ashley Sanchez
pitched in with five kills on 18 attempts.
It has been a busy week for the women's volleyball team,
with nine matches in the past eight days.
In that span, the Golden Eagles went 5-4. With today's losses, the Golden Eagles fall
to 10-6 on the season. They will now
attempt to regain their legs as well as their overall energy, prior to heading
to northern California.
The team will take the weekend off before starting another
tough stretch that will see the Golden Eagles play four matches in four
consecutive days. Their next match will
be on Monday evening at UC Merced, followed by matches at William Jessup
University (Tuesday), Pacific Union College (Wednesday), and Menlo College
(Thursday).
After the team's trip to northern California, they will
finally get some time off. The Golden
Eagles will have a week off, between matches, before they return home to host
the University of Redlands on September 20.
Stay tuned for updates and links for next week's matches
that will be streamed live.
