SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Despite dropping two matches to top five teams, the University of Redlands women's volleyball team (0-3) were within six points in five of their six sets Saturday as they showed the ability to keep up with two of the best teams in the country in No. 4 East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) and Trinity University (Texas).
Redlands 0 – East Texas Baptist 3
The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead thanks to a kill by Cecily Wagstaff and Lily Kautai as Tiana Mariner and Makenna Vanhofwegen got the assists. They maintained that lead at 6-5 following a Tiger service error before ETBU scored four unanswered points.
Redlands, though, never trailed by more than four points until a 4-0 run in favor of the Tigers sealed the set.
Wagstaff and Krystal Rose Huff had kills with a service ace from Hannah Hajnal to get Redlands out to another early lead, 4-2, in the second.
Once again ETBU had a response run, 6-0, which gave them the lead which they never relinquished as they took a 2-0 lead in the match.
After seeing their early leads erased in the first two sets, the Bulldogs were out in front, 13-11, after an Esha Ball kill and a Hajnal ace. A 14-7 Tiger run, however, would end any chance at forcing a fourth set.
Redlands 0 – Trinity 3
2-1 was the only time the Bulldogs held a lead in the first set as the Tigers took the set, 25-17.
Following their first set where they were overmatched, Redlands and Trinity were tied 18 times in the second set. They held a 22-20 lead thanks to a Jaycee Hullar kill, but a 5-1 run to end the set put the Tigers ahead 2-0.
Emily Kitchin and Ball had kills with a Mariner ace to make it 4-1 Bulldogs after five points in the third set. The lead was then extended to five, 8-3, thanks to a 4-0 run.
Redlands lead was as large as seven, 12-5, on the back of a Kautai kill and ace. Trinity, though, responded with nine of the 12 points, but the Bulldogs held onto to their lead, 15-14, and would expand upon it to four, 18-14, thanks to a kill by Kitchin and an ace and kill by Kautai.
The Bulldogs took that four-point lead to 24-20, giving them four set points. But a 5-0 run by the Tigers completed their comeback and sealed the match sweep.
Kautai had 10 kills and seven digs. Hajnal and Vanhofwegen led with 15 and 13 assists with Mariner picking up 11 digs.
Redlands will look to get their first win against Pacific Lutheran University this Friday at 3:45 p.m. at Whittier College.
