NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The University of Redlands volleyball team (2-0) came back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Westfield State University (WSU) 3-2 in game one of their Massachusetts tour at Smith College.

The first set was very competitive between the Owls and Bulldogs as they were tied at two and three, but after Redlands was down one, 7-6, WSU extended their lead to seven 15-8. From that point on the Bulldogs won 11-of-18 points to draw within three, 22-19. The Owls, though, took three of the final five points to take a 1-0 lead.

In the second set the Bulldogs were ahead 4-3 after they got kills from Paige Sugg and Avery Aminoff. From that point forward the two sides were tied at four, five, six, seven, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 before WSU got within five points of going up two sets to love with a 20-16 lead.

Redlands was up to the task at the end of the set as Isabella Garey started a 7-0 Bulldog run with a kill. Sugg had four kills in that span. After a service error made it a two-point game, 24-22, the Bulldogs evened the match at a set a piece on an Owl attacking error.

In the third set the Owls had control throughout as the only lead of the set for the Bulldogs was 1-0 as they lost 25-13.

Makaila Brooks was assisted by Ella Goettsche on a kill to open a must-win fourth set. With the set tied at 12, Lilia Donaldson had a pair of kills and Garey added one, all off Goettsche assists, as they took their largest lead of the set, three, 16-13.

The Owls came back to tie the set at 16 before the Bulldogs went on an 8-3 run to take a 24-19 advantage. WSU saved four set points before an attacking error sent the two teams to a decisive fifth set.

Eight of the first 12 points of the fifth were won by the Bulldogs as Aminoff and Brooks had kills and Kiki Stradford had an ace. The Bulldogs run slowed down and the Owls came all the way back to take the lead, 13-11, but Redlands clamped down and won six of the final eight points to take the final set 17-15. During the stretch Donaldson had two kills, Aminoff had a kill, and Kaegen Wherry had service ace.

Sugg finished with a team-high 11 kills in only three sets while Stradford and Aminoff each had 10 kills. Goettsche's 28 assists were a game and a career-high.

The Bulldogs play two more times in Massachusetts tomorrow with Lasell University at 10:00 a.m. PST and then the host Smith College at noon PST.