Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Cal Lutheran women's volleyball started its 2023 campaign at the UC Santa Cruz Slug Fest on Friday afternoon. The Regals fell to Gust. Adolphus 3-1 and Willamette 3-2. 
 
Cal Lutheran vs. No. 17 Gust. Adolphus – 25-20, 25-27, 23-25, 18-25
The Regals looked for an upset and took the first set 25-20. Down 14-16, they scored five straight points and shifted the momentum. Tarin Rueckert had back-to-back kills, Alex Hayes had a kill and an ace, and Gianna Bava and Kira Mortensen combined for a block. The Regals scored the final four points of the set and took an early 1-0 lead. 
 
The next two sets were a battle. Gust. Adolphus escaped with two two-point wins and the Regals were down 2-1. The Regals could not recover and lost their first match of the year in four sets. 
 
Rueckert led the way with 13 kills and Sadie Peete had 11 more. Both recorded a double-double with 15 and 18 digs, respectively. Mortenson was big at the net with nine kills and six total blocks and Tess Holbert kept the offense moving with 31 assists. 
 
Cal Lutheran vs. Willamette – 23-25, 25-20, 17-25, 25-18, 7-15
The Regals fell to the bearcats in the first set but bounced to take the second. Down 16-13, Cal Lutheran fired back and went up 17-16. The run featured two kills from Hayes and two errors by Willamette. The Regals never looked back and tied up the match.
 
The match continued to go back and forth as the Bearcats took the third and the Regals took the fourth. It all came down to the fifth set and unfortunately, the Bearcats had the answers and took the match. 
 
Peete had a second double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs. Hayes matched her with 12 kills and Kira Mortensen added 10. Rueckert had a team-high 18 digs and four more Regals had double-digits. Holbert recorded her first double-double of the year with 29 assists and 13 digs. 
 
The Regals continue the UC Santa Cruz Slug Fest on Saturday. They face Whitman at 10 a.m. and UC Santa Cruz at 2 p.m.