Bulldog Volleyball Suffers Heartbreaking Loss to Cal Lutheran

In an exciting and hard-fought match, the University of Redlands volleyball team came back from one game down but eventually lost to visiting Cal Lutheran University, 30-28, 19-30, 27-30, 32-30, 11-15, in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. With 52 tied scores and 23 lead-changes throughout the two-hour-plus battle, the conference match-up lived up to the rivalry of recent seasons.

The Bulldogs pulled away and hung on for the first-game victory but the Regals jumped out of the gate in game two to even the score. Cal Lutheran maintained momentum in the third game to gain the lead. Not to be outdone, Redlands battled back to win the fourth in impressive fashion. Despite a tied score of 10 apiece in the fifth, the Regals stole the victory with tenacious defense and persistent hitting.

For Redlands, sophomore right-side hitter Jordann Tanner (Vista, CA) led the team with 17 kills while freshman outside hitter Jackie Hamilton (Loma Linda, CA) chipped in 14. Sophomore outside hitter Ali Massei (San Carlos, CA) rounded out the double-digit performers with 11 kills. Defensively, the Bulldogs looked to junior libero Dory Baga (Aiea, HI) to lead the team with 28 digs. Junior setter Ashley Williams (Sunland, CA) came up just three kills short of a triple-double with seven kills, 45 assists, and 13 digs. Senior middle blocker Cassie McEuen (Mountain View, CA) provided stellar play at the net with six block assists, to go along with her seven kills.

Cal Lutheran counted on the stellar play of junior outside hitter Summer Plante-Newman (Quartz Hill, CA), who tallied 26 kills and 31 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Jenna Meligan (Lake Oswego, OR) and freshman middle blocker Allison Kerr (Wildwood, MO) also came up big on offense with 15 and 11 kills, respectively.

On Tuesday, the Bulldogs (10-9, 3-2 SCIAC) travel to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges while Cal Lutheran (9-3, 5-0 SCIAC) hosts Occidental College. Both matches begin at 7:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#7 Dory Baga: L/DS; 5' 3"; Junior

#20 Ali Massei: OH; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#4 Cassie McEuen: RS/MB; 5' 10"; Senior

#2 Jordann Tanner: RS/OH; 6' 0"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#7 Dory Baga
: 5' 3"; Junior
: L/DS

#20 Ali Massei
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: OH

#4 Cassie McEuen
: 5' 10"; Senior
: RS/MB

#2 Jordann Tanner
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: RS/OH