La Sierra: 25 25 25
Redlands: 15 22 17
While the Lady Bulldogs fought hard on October 14th, La Sierra proved to be the better volleyball club, as the Golden Eagles bested Redlands in straight sets Wednesday night. Though the Bulldogs put on a fight in the last two sets, the team dropped their eighth consecutive match. The tough loss was the Bulldogs’ second against this La Sierra team, as they were previously beaten on September 9th.
The first set undoubtedly belonged to the Golden Eagles, as they were able to break away early. Samantha Marquez and Abby Lathulo each had four kills in the set, leading the way as their team was able to draw first blood against Redlands. An 18-9 run to end the set sealed the deal for the Golden Eagles as they cruised past the Bulldogs, 21-15.
After the first set, the Lady Bulldogs were able to make some adjustments, according to head coach Lisa Lindberg.
“We switched from a 5-1 offense [containing a permanent setter] to a 6-2 [all available to hit], and it opened up more opportunities for us,” she said.
This proved effective, as they were able to stay level with La Sierra for most of the second set, with senior Ashton Martin’s three kills helping them keep up. But La Sierra was able to come out on top when it was all said and done, winning this intense back-and-forth.
There was hope for Redlands in the third set, as they got in front early and led by as much as four points. Sophomore Kiersten Langerud, freshman Kaylee Burdick, and Ashton Martin had two kills apiece in the third set, as they were looking to force a fourth set on the Golden Eagles. But their opposition had other plans, at one point taking 13 out of 15 points to make the third set the final one, as they swept the Bulldogs.
The tough loss against a solid opponent didn’t faze Lindberg, though she made sure that the team will be focusing on certain aspects of the game in practice.
“We’ll certainly be working on some of our serve receive problems, as well as setting up our plays throughout the rally.”
The loss sinks the Bulldogs to a record of 5-14, as they sit in second to last place in the SCIAC conference. They look to write off this six game in-conference losing streak on Tuesday as they take on Pomona-Pitzer.
