Riverside, Calif. - On Friday afternoon, the Golden Eagles volleyball team defeated Benedictine University, 3-1, before dropping a hard-fought battle against Embry-Riddle, 2-3. Saturday night's loss to Embry-Riddle ended a nine-match winning streak for the Golden Eagles, as Embry-Riddle remained unbeaten in conference play, with a record of 10-0. The weekend split moved the team's record to 12-11 overall and 7-3 in Cal Pac play. The women's volleyball team will play one more home match, on Wednesday evening, before heading out on the road for five straight matches.
La Sierra def. Benedictine, 3-1 (17-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-20)
On the verge of being down by a deficit of 2-0, the Golden Eagles manufactured a 13-4 run to close out the second set, evening the match at 1-1, and vaulting La Sierra to their ninth straight win. It was a run that seemingly gave the Golden Eagles the confidence and invincibility they have displayed at times during their recent streak.
Ashlin Orosco was swinging away towards a match-high 16 kills. She was joined in the effort by Kiana Krumm who added 13 kills and 10 digs, while Veronica Ramirez finished the match with nine kills and five block assists.
Setter Angala Jensen spread the offense around and finished with 41 assists, with Emily Morgan leading the team with 19 digs.
The win put the Golden Eagles in a temporary tie with the Redhawks, for second place in the conference standings.
Embry-Riddle def. La Sierra, 3-2 (25-15, 23-25, 25-23, 21-25, 11-15)
The Golden Eagles wasted no time jumping all over the #19 Eagles, and quickly took a 1-0 lead in the match. Each team used their share of heroics and timely hitting during the five set marathon, which featured numerous long rally's along the way. La Sierra, who went up in the match by a tally of 2-1, had an opportunity to close things out in the fourth set, but Embry-Riddle would not be denied as they clawed their way to victory, by winning the final two sets. In Set 5, it was the Golden Eagles who jumped out to the early lead, but were unable to hang on for the victory on their home court. Embry-Riddle remains unbeaten and has now won the last five meetings between the two teams.
Orosco led all players with 23 kills in the match. Krumm finished with 17 kills (and 21 digs), and Ramirez pitched in with 12 kills.
Jensen and Morgan also tallied match-high's in assists and digs, with Jensen distributing 49 assists along with 16 digs, and Morgan cleaning up with 31 digs. Freshmen Trinity Wyscarver also pitched in with a total of 19 digs.
Next up for the women's volleyball team will be a home match versus Providence Christian College. The Golden Eagles prevailed in a five-set thriller, over the Seabeggers, in their first meeting of the season, back on September 18. The match will take place on Wednesday, starting at 730pm, at the Alumni Pavilion.
