California Lutheran University's Student Newspaper Since 1961

The Echo

California Lutheran University's Student Newspaper Since 1961

The Echo

California Lutheran University's Student Newspaper Since 1961

The Echo

    Can you dig it? 16 consecutive wins

    Regals Volleyball

    With a clean sweep against Occidental on homecoming night, the Regals extend their winning streak to 16 games and havenโ€™t lost a conference game in over two years

    Homecoming brought many exciting events to the California Lutheran University campus, but one of the highlights of these events was the womenโ€™s volleyball match against Occidental College on Oct. 19. The Regals wiped out the opposition by sweeping three sets, solidifying the teamโ€™s 21st win of the season out of 22 matches.

    The team played in front of a crowd of 608 people, who collectively drowned out the stadium with sounds of enthusiasm for the rousing match.

    โ€œEvery moment of the game was really exciting, especially because we had a huge crowd here with a lot of energy, which made it awesome,โ€ freshman setter Jamie Smith said.

    The first set put the Regals in front with several opening kills from the team that left the Tigers in the dust. The successful dynamic of the Regals put a lot of pressure on the Tigers, who took advantage of all the time-outs they could get in the game. However, this tactic proved unsuccessful for the Tigers when the Regals won the first set by a margin of 25-12.

    The Tigers upped their game in the second set, starting off with three straight kills that put the Regals behind. This did anything but stifle the gameplay of the Regals, who held their own throughout the match. The set had several points where the teams were tied and the outlook of the set could go either way.

    There were four very long rallies throughout the match, three of which the Regals scored on, some of them by a slim margin. With the pressure mounting, the Tigers found themselves utilizing both of the allotted time-outs to help the team find its way to a win. However, with the prowess of the Regals along with several effective kills and blocks, the home team won out with three points in their favor.

    โ€œI think our blocking was really impressive tonight,โ€ said sophomore middle blocker Sarah Pappas. โ€œ[Our blocks] helped us a lot in the second set.โ€

    The final set of the match was another back and forth battle. Once again the Tigers came out in front with three straight kills that set the Regals back. However, the Regals fought back with fervor and tied the game.

    Much like the second set, the third set saw multiple ties.

    The Regals were able to push forward with several consecutive points. However, a few errant shots out of bounds put the Tigers back into the game. These errors far from hindered the Regals as they continued to progress through the match with unmatched skill.

    For a third time, the Tigers found themselves taking both time-outs to find a way to fight back. Their efforts were voided because ultimately the Regals met their 21st win of the season by finishing up the third set with a winning score of 25-18.

    โ€œI thought Oxy fought really hard tonight, I was really impressed with them,โ€ head coach Kellee Roesel said. โ€œThey definitely played a lot better than the first time [we played them] so I was surprised.โ€

    This match was yet another win in the very successful season for the Regals. The win extended their conference match win streak to 26 games and pushed their season win streak to 16 games. They will look to extend both streaks against Redlands University on Oct. 24 at Gilbert Arena.

     

    Christophe Bassett

    Staff Writer

    Published October 22, 2014