Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 IRVINE, Calif. --- Day two of the 2013 Asics/Wyndham Labor Day Classic went very much like day one did, as the Eagles ran through the competition on their way to two wins, putting them at 7-0 on the season.
Biola face Westminster College in the first game of the day, coming away with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-18) victory, their fourth consecutive 3-0 victory.
"The team played really well, we got pushed a little bit in the first set, but they responded well and pushed back," said Head Coach
Aaron Seltzer. "We were able to move some things around and play with our lineup a little bit and it worked out well."
One change that Seltzer implemented in the game against Westminster was getting backup setter
Nicolette Douglas some time on the floor. She subbed in for starting setter
Gracee Gallarda in the third set, getting Gallarda her first rest of the season.
Douglas got 12 assists and three digs in her lone set against Westminster.
"It was great to get her back on the floor," said Seltzer. "She is a really talented setter, but she had to sit out a year with an injury so we are easing her back into it."
Joclyn Kirton led the Eagles in kills for the second consecutive match, picking up 13, while also leading BU in hitting percentage.
Amy Weststeyn also had double digit kills, and she led the team with two service aces.
The first set was the Eagles first overtime set of the season, as they were pushed by unranked Westminster. Both teams ended the set with 16 kills, but BU had just four attack errors as opposed to Westminster's five, making the one point difference necessary for the Eagles to secure a 26-24 win.
The team effort over the final two sets sealed the deal and left BU looking ahead to their game against Cornerstone, a team the Eagles have never lost to in four previous matches.
It was yet again the first set that proved to be the thorn in the side of Biola, as their fifteen set winning streak was snapped with a 25-23 loss to the unranked squad from Michigan.
"We came out very sluggish and looked lethargic in the first set. We did not look like the same team," said Seltzer. "Cornerstone also played really well against us. They were probably the toughest team we have played this year."
BU made nine attack errors and they either trailed or were tied for just about the entire set. Set two was much different, as the team was ahead for the entire set, and they outkilled Cornerstone 10-8, while cutting down to six attack errors.
"The team responded and got really tough after the first set," said Seltzer. "They bounced back and played great after the sluggish start. Amy (Weststeyn) was able to score at will, especially in the last set."
Weststeyn had six kills in the deciding fourth set, and led the team with 19 in the match, the highest single match total of the year. She also continued her streak of incredible accuracy, hitting .581 in the match and raising her season hitting percentage to .473.
Alyssa Mason tacked on 14 kills,
Chelsee Arnitz had eight and Kirton added seven, making for 48 kills from what Seltzer calls his "fearsome foursome."
"It is great having those four on the floor. You know that on any given night one or more of them will do something great," he said.
The 3-0 showing at the tournament has the Eagles sitting at 7-0 as they continue to improve through their tough preseason non-conference schedule. They conclude their preseason slate next Friday at the Vanguard University Tournament.