CLAREMONT, Calif. – The University of Redlands Women's Volleyball team (12-8, 6-6 SCIAC) took the opening set 25-14 at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Tuesday evening, but they lost the next two by a combined five points as they eventually lost in four sets, 3-1.
It was a dominant opening set for the Bulldogs. Makenna Vanhofwegen (Buckeye, AZ) opened the match with a service ace before assisting Cecily Wagstaff (Portland, OR) for a kill en route to a 6-1 lead.
The lead stretched to nine, 14-5, before a 4-1 CMS run cut it to six. Hannah Hajnal (El Cerrito, CA) then assisted Emily Kitchin (Portland, OR), which sparked a 4-0 U of R run that pushed the lead to double figures for the first time. The final three points of the set came thanks to kills by Lily Kautai (San Mateo, CA), Avery Aminoff (Alexandria, VA), and Kitchin as Redlands won 25-14.
Trailing by three, 6-3, early in the second Vanhofwegen and Hajnal set up Wagstaff and Esha Ball (Fresno, CA) for a pair of kills that cut the gap to one, 6-5. After the Ball kill, however, the Athenas won five in-a-row getting out in front by six.
With the lead for CMS at nine, 18-9, 'Ale'amaikalani Paiva (Honolulu, HI) had a service ace, Wagstaff and Ball combined on a block, and Redlands took advantage of two free points off CMS errors to get to within five, 18-13.
The set looked to be wrapped up with a 4-0 Athena response run, but the Bulldogs did not go away quietly, stringing together five-straight and nine of the next 11 to pull within two, 24-22. The big comeback fell just short after an attacking error gave CMS the set.
Kitchin began the third set with two kills to help the Bulldogs to an early 3-1 lead. This advantage was maintained through nine points before the Athenas took control of the set, 11-7.
Down four in the middle of the set Hajnal found Kitchin to start a 5-0 run that reclaimed the lead for Redlands, 12-11. The rest of the set Redlands held leads at 16-15 and 17-16, but ultimately CMS was able to close out the set, 25-23.
In the fourth set the Bulldogs seemed to have the momentum leading by six, 13-7. Lily Houston (Reno, NV), Kautai, and Wagstaff all had two kills along with two aces from Kautai.
From that point forward, though, CMS went on an 18-5 run as they managed to close out the set, 25-18, avoiding a fifth.
It was a balanced offensive effort with Kitchin, Kautai, and Wagstaff all contributing 11 kills apiece. Vanhofwegen had 28 assists, while Hajnal had 17. Paiva added 26 digs and five assists and Ball had a game-high five total blocks.
Redlands now prepares for a home match-up with California Lutheran University this Friday, October 31 at 2:00 p.m.
