REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Women's Volleyball team (11-6, 5-4 SCIAC) came back from a 2-1 deficit to beat Chapman University 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-9) on Tuesday evening inside Currier Gym.
In the opening set the Bulldogs were trailing 4-3 before Makenna Vanhofwegen (Buckeye, AZ) assisted Lily Kautai (San Mateo, CA) for the first of eight-straight points for the Maroon and Grey. During the run Esha Ball (Fresno, CA) had a kill and block, while the Bulldogs took advantage of six Panther attacking errors.
Lily Houston (Reno, NV) had a kill off a Hannah Hajnal (El Cerrito, CA) assist that made it 15-10 before the Panthers won four-straight to pull to within one. A Chapman service error and a Cecily Wagstaff (Portland, OR) kill helped slow down the Panthers, as they ultimately won the set, 25-21.
The second set was tied at three early before a 5-1 run by Chapman put them ahead 6-3. The lead grew to five, 11-6, which forced a timeout by Head Coach Savannah Cox.
Coming out of the timeout, the Bulldogs went on their own run. Stringing together five in a row to tie the set at 11-11. Wagstaff and Houston each had kills during the run.
Redlands held five different leads the remainder of the set, including 18-17. Despite the late lead the Panthers would win eight of the final 12 points to even the match at one set.
Early in the third Ball and Avery Aminoff (Alexandria, VA) combined on a block that ended a 4-1 Chapman run. Vanhofwegen then set up Emily Kitchin (Portland, OR) twice to bring the U of R within two, 10-8.
Eventually the Bulldogs took the lead, 16-14, thanks to four unanswered points. The Panthers, however, closed out the set with an 11-4 run.
In a do or die fourth set needing to win to stay alive, the Bulldogs were trailing by three, 12-9, before Wagstaff, Vanhofwegen, and Houston each had kills that tied the set at 12-12.
Kautai's service ace that made it 16-15 was their first lead since it was 8-7 and it was the final time they needed to go in front as they held the lead the remainder of the set.
After multiple slow starts in priors sets, Redlands won the first six points of the fifth frame thanks to Paige Sugg (Federal Way, WA) who had three-straight aces.
The Panthers responded well with a 3-1 run that made it a four-point set, 7-4, but three errors by Chapman extended the Bulldog advantage to seven, 10-3, and Redlands eventually took the set, 15-9.
After completing the comeback, Cox said this about her team's performance:
"I'm really proud of how our team battled tonight. We've grown a lot since that early loss to Chapman, and it showed in how we handled the pressure points in this match. It was a great team win – everyone contributed, and the players who came off the bench gave us a huge spark when we needed it the most. That depth and togetherness are exactly what we'll need as we make our push for the SCIAC Tournament."
Kautai and Wagstaff had 18 and 13 kills each. Vanhofwegen and Hajnal combined for 51 assists with 29 and 22, respectively. 'Ale'amaikalani Paiva (Honolulu, HI) had 30 digs, while Kautai made it a double-double night with 23 digs, a career-high.
Redlands heads to Whittier College this Friday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m. as they try to stay above .500 and split the season series with the Poets.
