HOME OF BULLDOG WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL - 2009 SCIAC Champs, 2006 NCAA Regional Finalists

Bulldog Volleyball Captures Back-to-Back Wins at Cal-Lu-Fornia Tournament

After two heart-wrenching defeats in which the Bulldog volleyball team fought back from two sets down, the University of Redlands bounced back with an impressive five-set win over No. 16 Trinity University (TX) on Saturday at the Cal-Lu-Fornia Tournament. The team’s momentum carried through to its next match, resulting in a resounding victory in straight sets over regional opponent Linfield College (OR).

Against the Tigers of Trinity, Redlands earned the opening set by five points and then held on for the 25-23 win in the second stanza. However, Trinity refused to go away and battled back in the next set with a lop-sided 25-9 victory. The Bulldogs slightly rebounded in the fourth but came up short by three points. Finally, Redlands sealed the deal in the deciding fifth set by a score of 15-9, earning its first win of the 2009 season.

The Maroon and Gray was the only team to nab a victory over the Tigers at the tournament.

Junior outside hitter Jackie Hamilton (Loma Linda, CA) led the team with 15 kills while sophomore middle blocker Emily Capozzoli (Poway, CA) and senior outside hitter Ali Massei (San Carlos, CA) each supplied 12. Senior setter Kelina Smith (Kurtistown, HI) dished out 46 assists in the win. Senior libero Lauren Harding (Altadena, CA) came away with a team-leading 33 digs, while junior middle blocker Megan Phillips (Vista, CA) dominated the net with seven total blocks.

The Bulldogs maintained their rhythm in the second match of the day, downing the Wildcats of Linfield in three sets. Redlands jumped out to a 25-19 victory in the opening frame and then cruised to a 25-15 win in the second. Unwilling to take a fourth match to five sets in two days, the Bulldogs fought their way through the third set and captured the victory with a 25-23 showing.

Phillips took over the offense by slamming down 18 kills off of just 28 attempts for an astounding hitting percentage of .571. Hamilton added nine kills and Capozzoli patrolled the net with seven total blocks. Harding supplied 19 digs from the back row, while Smith offered 30 assists.

With the wins, Redlands improves to 2-2 on the season. The Bulldog volleyball team looks forward to facing in-region opponent Chapman University on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Orange. Redlands returns home on Thursday for a 4 p.m. match against the Cyclones of Mills College, followed by a 7:30 p.m. contest against La Sierra University.