REDLANDS, CA – The University of La Verne volleyball team took down the University of Redlands Bulldogs on the road, in a thrilling 3-2 victory.
Zacky Coaston surpassed a total of 500 career blocks, solidifying her number one spot on the La Verne all-time list.
Alanna Jones set a season-high kill count of 15, and
Malia Capistrano and
Morgan Watkins tied for most digs on Saturday, with 21 each. Watkins' consistency in the back row earned the Leopards the win in the fifth.
La Verne took the lead in the first, with consecutive kills from Jones. Capistrano, paired with Jones, earned 19 assists on the night. The other right side-setter pairing,
Jordyn McCoy and
Mariah Ray, also put up big numbers. McCoy finished with 25 assists and 14 digs, while Ray nabbed 12 kills, seven block assists and nine digs. The Leopards closed out, score reading 25-21.
Redlands reared back and charged in set two. The Dogs and Leopards stayed within six points of each other at all times. A majority of the kills for La Verne came from Jones, the rightside scoring six in the second set. Swings from outside
Lauren Gott, and a handful of errors from Redlands, tied the game up at 15-15, but the Dogs finished on top, 25-19.
La Verne came out swinging in the third–literally. Kills from Gott and Ray gave the Leopards a 5-1 lead.
Zacky Coaston added to her impressive resume, hitting a .423 with 13 kills, five digs and six block assists. The Dogs could not recover, scoring only 14 to the Leopards' 25 points, putting La Verne up two sets to one.
The Bulldogs applied pressure in the fourth, erroring less and swinging more effectively. The Leopards diversified their offense with swings coming from Ray, Gott, and Coaston. Watkins set up her front row with assists, finishing the night with seven, in addition to her 21 digs and three service aces. All tied up at 24-24 thanks to a kill from Gott, put the Leopards in striking distance, but Redlands maintained the lead and finished ahead, 26-24.
The fifth set entertainment did not disappoint. The momentum never swung far; the point differential never rose above two. The rightsides swung big and scored, Jones and Ray tallying five points together. At 15-15, Ray pulled La Verne ahead with a kill, and Watkins finished the job in fifth-set fashion with a service ace. Final score 17-15 Leopards.
La Verne is back in action October 20 at 7 p.m. facing the Whittier College Poets at home in The Tents.
