THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Cal Lutheran women's volleyball team continued its dominant run through SCIAC play Saturday, taking down defending national runner-up La Verne 3-1 (25-19, 25-13, 19-25, 25-17) at Gilbert Arena to extend its winning streak to six matches and remain unbeaten in conference play.
The Regals (10-6, 6-0 SCIAC) delivered a statement victory over the Leopards (7-7, 3-3 SCIAC), marking their first win over La Verne since 2022. Cal Lutheran controlled the match offensively, hitting a season-high .326 as a team while holding La Verne to a .189 attack percentage.
Tarin Rueckert was an absolute human highlight reel, leading all players with 18 kills while hitting .500. The senior middle also added five blocks and an ace, delivering an all-around performance that helped power the Regals past one of the conference's historically toughest opponents.
Cal Lutheran overcame an early three-point deficit in the opening set after La Verne came out swinging with three consecutive kills. Rueckert answered with back-to-back kills, and a Leopards error tied the set at 6-6. The Regals then seized control with an 8-1 run, sparked by kills from
Cienna Alvarez,
Kennedy Smith and
Emily Ford, along with three aces from
Keegan Corley. La Verne battled back to within two, but Cal Lutheran responded with four straight points to rebuild its lead before
Aby Tibesar closed out the set with a kill, 25-19.
The Regals were even more dominant in the second, putting together one of their most efficient sets of the season. After La Verne pulled even at 7-7, Cal Lutheran erupted for a 12-1 run to take command. The stretch featured seven kills from three different Regals, an ace from Alvarez and a pair of blocks. Cal Lutheran committed just one attack error in the entire set, hitting an incredible .548 to cruise to a 25-13 win and take a commanding 2-0 match lead. Kills from Alvarez and Ford put the finishing touches on the frame.
La Verne responded in the third, as the Regals initially appeared poised to complete the sweep. Smith opened the set with a kill before Rueckert added two more, and
Kimmy Wilson followed with an ace. The Leopards rallied to tie the score at 10 and eventually took a 12-11 lead. Kills from Smith and Ford briefly returned the advantage to Cal Lutheran, but La Verne strung together six consecutive points and closed the set on another extended run to force a fourth.
The Regals answered in the deciding frame, jumping out to a 5-1 lead behind early production from Smith, Rueckert and Ford. The teams traded points through the middle of the set before Cal Lutheran found another gear, using a 5-1 run to create separation. Rueckert and
Makenna Kawamura each contributed an ace during the stretch, while
Reese Balagot added a kill and Ford and Tibesar teamed up for a block. La Verne managed just one more kill before the Regals closed the match with four consecutive points, capped by a kill from
Kaylee Clayton to secure the 25-17 victory.
Alvarez joined Rueckert in double figures with 13 kills while hitting .385, and Smith added 11 kills. Ford contributed nine kills and five total blocks, tying Rueckert for the team lead. Kawamura and Wilson orchestrated the offense with 29 and 23 assists, respectively, while Corley anchored the defense with a match-high 22 digs. Corley also recorded three service aces to help fuel the Regals' attack.
With the win, Cal Lutheran improved to 6-0 in SCIAC play and set up a highly anticipated showdown Tuesday against Whittier, the conference's other remaining undefeated team. The Regals will travel to Whittier for a 7 p.m. match with sole possession of first place in the SCIAC on the line.
