Box Score LA MIRADA, Calif. --- In its first matchup against a NAIA Top-25 opponent Biola Volleyball flexed its muscle en route to a 3-1 (25-15, 25-20, 19-25, 25-18) win over No. 15 Rocky Mountain.
 
"We've got some things to work on, but I think it is good to open the tournament with a win," said Head Coach Aaron Seltzer. "It's a good confidence builder. We are getting a little better each time out and that's what we need to do."
 
A five-point swing early in the first set helped Biola claim 10-7 advantage that it never looked back from. Efficient attacking from Biola's hitters paired with a handful of lapses on the other side of the net helped BU begin the match with a huge 10-point set win.
 
All match long it was the Eagles' middle blockers doing the brunt of the damage to the Battlin' Bears' defense. Ally Forsberg and Sierra Bauder combined for 20 kills and committed just six attack errors between them as they hit over .500 as a pair.
 
"even more than what the stats say those two did a really good job with their decision making," said Seltzer. "They won some matchups at the net and I think the excellence they showed went way beyond the stat sheet."
 
Biola was looking for a sweep after taking the second set 25-20. Rocky Mountain led 2-1 early in the set, but four consecutive points got the Eagles a lead they would hold onto for the rest of the set. Confidence was sky high heading into the third set after BU won the final four points of the set.
 
The third set was where the Eagles' glaring weakness in this match shown through. Biola committed six service errors as they helped the Battlin' Bears win the set by six points to weasel out of a sweep. Biola committed 19 service errors in the match and will be looking to be much improved in that area during their date with Eastern Oregon later tonight.
 
The Eagles limited themselves to three errors in a convincing final set as they wrapped up the match with a 25-18 fourth set victory.
 
Joining Bauder and Forsberg with double-digit kills was Brooke Watts (10) and Hannah van Warmerdam (12). Neither team blocked particularly well as Biola ended the match with five and the Battlin' Bears finished with four.
 
"These are the kind of matches we have to play in order to get better," said Seltzer. "It is a marathon, not a sprint."
 
The Eagles continue to make their way through the marathon with a 6:00 p.m. match against No. 8 Eastern Oregon (0-1).
 
For more information on the Biola Volleyball/Red Lion-Anaheim Summer Slam please visit http://athletics.biola.edu/sports/2016/7/19/2016-biola-university-red-lion-hotel-anaheim-summer-slam.aspx?path=vball.