PASADENA, Calif. – The University of Redlands Women's Volleyball team (13-9, 7-7 SCIAC) took care of business at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Saturday afternoon sweeping the Beavers, 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-22).
Cecily Wagstaff (Portland, OR) got things started with a kill off a set from Makenna Vanhofwegen (Buckeye, AZ). After a 4-0 Beaver run, Lily Kautai (San Mateo, CA) started a Bulldog run that gave them a 7-5 lead.
Following a Caltech kill that cut the lead to three, 10-7, Hannah Hajnal (El Cerrito, CA) assisted Emily Kitchin (Portland, OR) in the first of nine-straight Redlands points that put them within six points of the set, 19-7.
Whitney Farrell (Bend, OR) assisted Paige Sugg (Federal Way, WA) and Ainsley Dyerly (Redlands, CA) got her first kill to make it a 23-9 set. After a 5-0 Beaver run, Esha Ball (Fresno, CA) and Kautai combined on block that ended the set, 25-14.
Opening the second set Vanhofwegen was off to a hot start with two service aces and an assist, while Lily Houston (Reno, NV) added two early kills for a 5-0 U of R lead.
Each team won five points over the following ten, but a Beaver error and kills from Sugg and Emma Murphy (South Jordan, UT) off feeds from 'Ale'amaikalani Paiva (Honolulu, HI) making it 14-5.
The closest Caltech got the rest of the way was six as Dyerly finished off the set, 25-14, with a kill following the set from Carter Meyers (Tustin, CA).
The third set was the most competitive, featuring seven ties after 16 points. The Bulldogs, though, started to pull away thanks to a 6-2 run that was aided by four Beaver errors and two Wagstaff kills.
Caltech did not go away, however, drawing to within one on two different occasions, 16-15 and 17-16. But Redlands found their way through the set, 25-22, after Kautai and Sugg had the final four Bulldog kills.
Thanks to the strong performance, ten different Bulldogs had kills led by the 10 from Kautai. After struggling on the outside against California Lutheran University yesterday, the Bulldogs hit .296 and never lower than .256.
Redlands will host No. 2 University of La Verne this Tuesday, November 4 inside Currier Gym in their final home match of the season at 7:00 p.m.
