Regals volleyball seniors Allie Eason and Pua Mo’okini-Oliveira suited up for their final home regular season match on Oct. 30. After four years of dedication and hard work to the Regals program, the two seniors contributed to the victory over conference foe Redlands.
“It was kind of unreal,” said senior outside hitter Mo’okini-Oliveira with tears in her eyes. “I didn’t see this day coming as fast as it did, but I’m lucky to have had experiences with the girls I got to play with and the coaches. It was a fun and amazing time.”
Before the match began, seniors Mo’okini-Oliveira and Eason were honored for not only their athletic feats over their careers but their academic achievements as well.
The proud seniors were surrounded by their families and cheered on by the fans while they received flowers and took pictures together with their families.
The ceremony was followed by a three-set sweep as the Regals cruised to their 23rd victory of the season.
The match started with the Bulldogs earning the first point, but the Regals followed by earning six points. The first two kills in the match came fittingly from seniors Eason and Mo’okini-Oliveira.
The Regals outplayed the Bulldogs with kill after kill in the first set. The Bulldogs had several rotation errors forcing them to lose valuable points. The Regals took the first set of the night, 25-16.
The Bulldogs struggled in the second set and were slammed down with seven kills from the Regals. With several errors made by Redlands in the second set, the Bulldogs were too far behind the Regals throughout the set to catch up, and the set ended with a score of 25-11.
The third set was the closest of the match as Redlands battled with its back against the wall. The Regals made some errors which kept the Bulldogs in the game but Cal Lutheran ultimately pulled away to seal the sweep, winning the set 25-17.
Junior libero Nicki Tetherow said the team has had difficulties in the third sets in past games, but was happy they made it through the final set this time
“We had some difficulties playing in our third sets. We kind of had a third game wall, you can say,” Tetherow said. “I thought we did really good this game and we were able to actually win it which was awesome and I hope that continues.”
Sophomore outside hitter Hope Stewart wrapped up the game with two kills in the final set as the Regals fans were standing and cheering the home team to their victory against Redlands, ending the game with a 3-0 win going to the Regals.
Head Coach Kellee Roesel said she was proud of the group and thought it was a good game.
“I thought we played a good, complete match,” Roesel said. “[We] got a lot of kids in there and made a difference. I’m proud of the entire group.”
Tetherow said she is proud of the seniors on the team and she is happy they won the senior night game.
“I thought we played really well,” Tetherow said. “We came into the game wanting to play for our seniors, since it’s senior night. We just wanted to have a good time, go out on a good note and stay undefeated at home.”
The final game of the season for the Cal Lutheran Regals was played at Pomona-Pitzer College on Oct. 31 and concluded the regular season.
The Regals clinched their sixth straight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title with a sweep of the Sagehens, according to clusports.com. The Regals will host the Conference Tournament starting Nov. 5 and will play for a regional tournament berth.
Karoline Johannessen
Staff Writer
Published November 4th, 2015