The University of Redlands volleyball team battled it out against Occidental College in a critical Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown on Friday night in Currier Gym in front of more than 200 raucous fans. Despite producing one of the most impressive, overall statistical lines for the season, the Bulldogs relinquished a two-set lead and eventually fell in five sets to a relentless Tiger squad. The Maroon and Gray suffered a difficult 25-19, 25-19, 21-25, 24-26, 11-15 loss but out-played Occidental in virtually every category except for the one that counted most, the final score.

The Bulldogs came out on fire and erupted with a .353 hitting percentage with freshman outside hitter Morgan Buckner (San Rafael, CA) leading the charge. She knocked down six of the team's 15 kills in the opening set.

Momentum remained with Redlands as it garnered the lead off of a kill by senior outside hitter Jackie Hamilton (Loma Linda, CA) on the first point of the second set and never looked back. The Maroon and Gray earned a six-point advantage at 11-6 and then captured the eventual victory by the same margin.

Through the first two sets, senior middle blocker Megan Phillips (Vista, CA) uncorked a .571 hitting percentage with eight kills on 14 attempts and no errors. She finished with 17 kills for a mark of .400.

Refusing to go away quietly, Occidental broke an early tie at seven apiece and seemed to be in the driver's seat by earning a 16-10 lead. But the Bulldogs fought back to tie the score at 20 and then again at 21 with three consecutive kills and a huge block making the difference. The Tigers recaptured the lead by taking advantage of a Redlands attack error, which was followed by senior libero Kathryn Bockmon (Anchorage, AK) rattling off three points from the service line.

Still holding a 2-1 lead in the match score, Redlands remained in control of the match. It garnered an early nine-point lead in the fourth set, sitting in prime contention to defeat second-place Occidental College. But the Tigers chipped away at their deficit with tough serving and a persistent attack, eventually making it a four-point game at 19-24. The Maroon and Gray simply needed to win one more rally to secure the victory. With Bockmon back to serve, Occidental pressured the Bulldogs to earn the win, rather than giving it to them on a Tiger miscue. Consecutive errors by Redlands and back-to-back kills by sophomore outside hitter Logan Boyer-Hayse (Boulder, CO) allowed the Tigers to close out the fourth set while fighting off five match points in the process.

Following the surprise defeat in the fourth set, the Bulldogs faced an early four-point deficit in the fifth and deciding set. Redlands closed within two on five occasions, the latest coming at 9-11. But aggressive play by the Tigers allowed them to accomplish an impressive come-from-behind victory as three different players earned kills in the final four points.

As a team, Redlands earned a total of 82 points to Occidental's 67. This came in the form of 63 kills, compared to the Tigers' 56, and 14 blocks, which was nine more than Occidental. The Bulldogs also mustered six more digs and six more assists. The only apparent statistical difference was in service errors, with Redlands being plagued by 13 of them to seven for the Tigers.

For Redlands, Hamilton posted a team-high 19 kills while Buckner contributed 13. They both came up with 22 digs, while freshman libero Brittney Overgaag (Palm Desert, CA) led the match with 33.

Freshman setter Alisha Cornick (Hollister, CA) dished out a match-high 52 assists and added eight block assists. Phillips and senior middle blocker Kirby McCord (Huntington Beach, CA) provided a formidable force at the net by garnering six block assists apiece.

Occidental (15-2, 7-1 SCIAC) gained a match-high 23 kills from Boyer-Hayse, while freshman outside hitter Stephanie Gann (Tacoma, WA) was the only other Tiger to provide double digits with 11. Bockmon finished out the match with 27 digs and three service aces.

The Bulldogs (12-6, 2-5 SCIAC) return to action on Tuesday, when they host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in a SCIAC match on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.