Riverside, Calif. - The women's volleyball picked up another Cal Pac Conference win, with a thrilling five set victory over the University of California – Merced, 25-21, 25-18, 25-27, 20-25, 15-11.
The Bobcats entered the match having just knocked off Menlo College in straight sets last weekend. Needless to say, they were looking to carry the momentum from one of their biggest wins in the program's history.
The Golden Eagles were well aware of the challenge ahead and it was evident early on that they were determined to defend their home court.
La Sierra jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, using an 8-2 run in Set 1 to erase a 3-9 deficit and eventually going on to win the set 25-21.
They extended their lead in the match to 2-0 with a strong finish in Set 2. After the two teams were locked up in a 17-17 tie, the Golden Eagles went on to score eight of the next nine points to seal the set victory.
La Sierra now found themselves in a similar position. Last Saturday night, the Golden Eagles won the first two sets against PUC before subsequently dropping the next three sets and suffering a disappointing loss.
Looking to repeat that scenario, the Bobcats answered back with wins in Set 3 and Set 4, tying the match at 2-2.
In third set was a tight contest throughout, consisting of 20 ties and neither team holding more than a three point lead during the set. La Sierra was able to fight off three set points before the Bobcats finally picked up a set to pull within one.
The Set 3 victory seemed to fuel the Bobcats who entered Set 4 with renewed energy, cruising to a 25-18 win, tying the match at 2-2.
But the Golden Eagles regrouped in time, and drawing on their experience from the weekend, the team showed some mental toughness and character in fighting their way back in Set 5. At the changeover the Golden Eagles trailed the Bobcats 8-6. La Sierra caught Merced at 9-9 and never trailed again, winning the set 15-11.
Lina Semaia and Robyn Miller carried the load with 20 kills and 15 kills, respectively. Erin Miller added eight kills and nine digs, while Abby Latuhoi contributed eight kills of her own, along with five block assists. Robyn Miller also tallied eight digs and two block assists.
Chantel Washignton led all players with 16 digs and setter Angie Gonzalez finished with 49 assists and five digs.
Both teams exhibited some strong play at the net combining for 20 total blocks in the match. The Bobcats tallied 11 team blocks, while the Golden Eagles weren't far behind with nine team blocks of their own.
The victory pushes the Golden Eagles Cal Pac record to 3-1 on the season (4-12 overall). They have another test ahead of them on Saturday night when they host Menlo College in another conference match. The two teams split the regular season matches last year, but the Oaks came out on top when the two teams squared off in the Cal Pac Championship match.
Saturday night's match is scheduled for a 7:30pm start at the Alumni Pavilion.
