Angwin, Calif. - In what proved to be another exciting match-up, the Golden Eagles women's volleyball team swept the season series with Pacific Union College with a 3-1 win over the Pioneers (25-23, 25-18, 25-27, 25-17). The win pushed the Golden Eagles record to 5-3 in Cal Pac play and an even 9-9 overall. It was the first of two back-to-back Cal Pac Conference matches this weekend for La Sierra.
The first set proved to be a back-and-forth affair with both teams exchanging runs throughout. The Golden Eagles held the lead, or a share of the lead (10 tie scores), for the entire match with the exception of the first point and a one-point lead midway through Set 1, for the Pioneers. They would go on to take a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-23 win.
The second set started in similar fashion with each team looking to gain control. With the scored tied at 7-7, the Golden Eagles used an 11-4 run that would end up being the difference in Set 2. A set they would eventually go on to win by a final score of 25-18.
The Pioneers mounted a temporary comeback in Set 3 to avoid the straight set sweep. La Sierra held the lead for the majority of the set. They led by as many as five points on multiple occasions and even had one match point that the Pioneers survived to take Set 3, 27-25, and send the match to a fourth set.
With the scored knotted at 11-11, in Set 4, La Sierra used a 14-6 run to cruise to victory.
Four different Golden Eagles finished the match in double-figures in kills. Kiana Krumm led the way with 17 kills. Just behind Krumm was Taylor Moran who finished with 16 kills and an attach percentage of .469. Michele Mendizabel and Briana Greeley added 12 kills and 10 kills, respectively.
The Golden Eagles also complimented their offense with a total of 91 digs and eight team blocks. Libero Emily Morgan picked up 25 digs, while Kiana Krumm finished with 15 digs of her own. Smriti Sharma, Daniella Alvarez, and Marissa Fregoso each contributed 10 digs apiece for La Sierra.
Sharma and Fregoso led a steady offensive attack by setting up 53 of the 64 team kills, with no ball-handling errors.
The team will continue their travels north as they head to Redding, Calif., for tomorrow night's match at Simpson University. La Sierra defeated the Red Hawks in straight sets in their first meeting of the season, back on September 16.
