THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - On a night dedicated to promoting Breast Cancer Awareness, the No. 6 Cal Lutheran women's volleyball team and fans alike came decked out in pink as the Regals swept past Chapman 25-18, 25-16, 25-23 in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) matchup on Friday night inside Gilbert Arena.
Chapman (7-6, 4-3 SCIAC) got off to a quick start in the first set, taking a 5-0 lead before a service error netted CLU its first point of the game. The Panthers continued to extend their early advantage, going up 9-2, after three straight attacking errors from the Regals.
After a Panther attacking error, sophomore setter Jamie Smith went back to serve for CLU and helped turn the tide as the Regals rattled off six straight points to cut the Chapman lead to one, 11-10. Michelle Lawrence was key during the rally coming up with three straight kills at one point.
Both teams traded points until the Violet and Gold strung four together, and eight out of nine, to take their biggest lead of the game, 18-14. Nearing the end of the set, Molly Holloway connected for a service ace, and a Chapman attacking error gave CLU the 25-18 first set victory.
The Regals continued rolling into the second set where they jumped out to an early lead behind strong play from Allie Eason. The senior outside hitter slammed down four kills in the early goings and finished with six of her 12 kills in the set.
After taking the second set handily 25-16, the Regals would have to grind out the third set to earn the sweep. In a see-saw battle that saw the score tied eight different times with three lead changes, Eason and Smith came through down the stretch to secure the win.
Trailing 23-20 and facing a possible fourth set, Smith set up Eason for a kill before registering one herself to cut the deficit to one, 23-22. A Panther ball-handling error tied the game at 23, and then Eason and Smith connected once more before Smith put the game away on an assist by Nicki Tetherow.
Lawrence led all players in the game with 15 kills and Eason finished with 12. Smith tallied a game-high 32 assists while Tetherow tallied 14 digs on the defensive end. Freshman Amanda Roberts had a strong game for CLU finishing with seven digs and four kills, while junior Monica Lundgren was a menace at the net notching seven total blocks.
Kylie Cooke led Chapman with eight kills and Jade Santos had a game-high 18 digs.
Cal Lutheran (15-2, 5-0 SCIAC) will head out on the road tomorrow for a conference match against Redlands at 2:00 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 3, CU 0
CLU Twitter: https://twitter.com/clusports
CLU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports
CLU Instagram: http://instagram.com/clusports#
