LA VERNE, CA — The University of La Verne volleyball team controlled a Friday evening showdown against the University of Redlands Bulldogs, responding to their season's first loss with a dominant 3-0 shutout win. Redlands failed to eclipse 15 points in any set, while La Verne picked up their SCIAC-leading 15th win.

Top Performers

Mya Ray led all players with 14 kills and added three blocks and nine digs. Lauren Gott posted nine kills two aces, and seven digs. Ayana Mier followed with eight kills and one block.
Malia Capistrano led all players with 33 assists, three aces, and 14 digs.

How it Happened

Set 1

Capistrano opened the set with back-to-back service aces. Fresh off an Offensive Athlete of the Week performance, plus a 17-kill game Tuesday, Ray paced the first set with six kills. The Leopards had 12 kills in the opener and took advantage of nine Bulldogs' errors. La Verne never looked back after breaking a 7-7 tie with 12 unanswered points, finishing the first set 25-11.

Set 2

In the next set, the Leopards had three sequences during which they scored at least five consecutive points. By the set's conclusion, La Verne took a 2-0 lead with a commanding 17-point differential over Redlands. Ray added five more kills, and Gott and Mier each added four kills.

Set 3

Redlands put up their best fight in the third and final set, but La Verne played to avenge their first loss and executed. The Leopards pounced to a quick 15-5 lead before eventually leading 20-7. The errors mounted for Redlands and La Verne walked away with another double-digit point differential for the sweep.

Season Impact

Leopards' head coach Jeff Hendershot has won every set against Redlands since taking the helm officially in 2020. The University of Redlands, under first-year head coach Serenity Cox, dropped to 4-8 (1-6, SCIAC ) on the season. La Verne improved to 15-1 (6-1,SCIAC) and will travel to Claremont on Saturday, Oct. 7 to square off against the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens at 7 p.m