The Regals volleyball team took on a tough opponent, the Chapman Panthers, in front of an energetic crowd on Oct. 4 in Gilbert Arena and came out victorious. The win moved the Regals to a record of 16-1 overall and kept them perfect at 6-0 in SCIAC play.

The Regals won 3-1 (25-17, 25-21, 18-25, 25-23), dropping the third set to the Panthers, but rallying in the fourth to put the match out of reach for Chapman.

“We have a real appetite for winning and we don’t want to lose a game to anyone,” said Kylie McLogan, junior outside hitter. McLogan led the Regals with 14 kills in the match and sophomore right side hitter Pua Mo’okini-Oliveira also had a strong performance with 13 kills on the night.

That appetite for winning was apparent in the first set as the Regals jumped out to an early lead and went up by as much as 10 points at one point in the set. McLogan put the finishing touches on the first set with a monstrous spike assisted by senior setter Jackie Russell, who dished out 36 assists in the match.

“I thought we came out with a lot of energy and pretty much firing on all cylinders,” said Kellee Roesel, head coach of the Regals.

The second set was more competitive, featuring eight lead changes. Both teams battled back and forth for control of the set, but the Regals were able to pull ahead with the score 18-17. Following that lead came a net call against Chapman, another strong spike by McLogan and a service ace by junior libero Kennedy Peters to put the Regals ahead for good as they won the second set, 25-21.

Chapman stormed back to win the third set 25-18, showing why they are one of the best teams the SCIAC conference has to offer. The Panthers were able to capitalize on multiple errors made by the Regals and showed their team’s balance with four players tallying at least two kills in the set.

“We got a little laxed in the third set and thought we needed to respect them [Chapman] a little more. Chapman is a good team and has a good coach,” Roesel said of Chapman, who also came into the game undefeated in SCIAC play.

Despite being a relatively young team, fifth-ranked California Lutheran University remained calm and composed throughout the night and was able to take the fourth set to win the match.

“It was great to see us not get down on ourselves,” said senior middle blocker Lauren Rohach, who added nine kills of her own. “We didn’t worry about errors and just stayed aggressive which helped us win some close points at crucial times.”

With the win Friday coupled with their victory the next day at the California Institute of Technology, the Regals now sit alone atop the SCIAC conference at 7-0. They look to continue their SCIAC dominance this year in hopes of winning their fourth consecutive conference championship.

Catch the Regals this Sunday, Oct. 13 at the annual exhibition match against the Alumni at 5 p.m. in the Gilbert Arena.

Kevin Post
Staff Writer
Published Oct. 9, 2013