Riverside, Calif. - The women's volleyball team dropped their third conference match of the season, in a straight set loss to the University of Antelope Valley. The Pioneers also completed the season series sweep against the Golden Eagles, which includes a win over La Sierra back on October 6. The Golden Eagles fall to 6-3 in Cal Pac play, and 12-8 overall.
From the beginning, the Golden Eagles struggled with their passing, which affected the hitters having the opportunity to find their rhythm. The Pioneers took Set 1, 25-16, and finished the set with a 12-5 advantage, in the total kills category.
In Set 2, La Sierra regrouped and was on track to even the match, until the Pioneers mounted a ferocious comeback. After leading, 21-11, the Golden Eagles were unable to close things out. The Pioneers caught the Golden Eagles at 22-22, and even fought off one set-point to eventually take Set 2, 28-26. In doing so, they took much of the wind out of La Sierra's sails.
Trailing for much of Set 3, La Sierra mounted a comeback of their own, which fell just short in the end. The Golden Eagles were down 17-10, before erasing the deficit and catching the Pioneers at 22-22. Unfortunately, for the home team, they were unable to completely duplicate the script, as Antelope Valley hung on to complete the straight set victory, by a final of 25-23.
Michele Mendizabal had a strong showing with 14 kills and a hitting percentage of .353. Kiana Krumm matched Mendizabal with 14 kills, to tie the match-high totals.
Each team's respective libero, Emily Morgan (La Sierra) and Aleina Gabriel (UAV) played strong and factored in with a total of 25 digs each. Krumm added 14 digs of her own, while Marissa Fregoso tallied 19 assists and 10 digs on the night.
The Pioneers finished with a 9.5-3 advantage in total team blocks. It should also be noted that when Antelope Valley wasn't being credited with a block, they were able to thwart or slow the Golden Eagles attacks and take advantage of those opportunities and forcing La Sierra into 25 total attack errors.
The team will now attempt to turn the page and get back on track, this Saturday night, when they play host to Providence Christian College. The Golden Eagles defeated Providence in straight sets back on September 23. Of their six remaining, regular season matches, La Sierra will play four of them on their home court. Saturday night's match will get underway at 7:30pm
