Box Score COSTA MESA, Calif. --- Biola finished off its run of four consecutive matches against ranked opponents on Saturday night with a road match at No. 24 Vanguard. The Lions made it interesting for the Eagles, who were 3-for-3 entering the night, forcing Biola into a tight five-set match. No. 5 Biola scraped out a 3-2 (25-19, 17-25, 19-25, 25-21, 15-11) win to improve to 3-3 this season in five-set matches.
 
"We were very, very fortunate to get out of there with a win," said Head Coach Aaron Seltzer. "We were outcoached, outprepared and outworked for 80 percent of that match."
 
Biola came out firing, winning the first set in convincing fashion and hitting at a .281 clip on the way. Vanguard had some early hiccups, with nine attack errors in the first set.
 
After that set though, everything changed. Biola's lack of preparation time ended up showing through in set two and three. The Lions limited mistakes and got some fantastic hitting from Marissa Laster and Jessica Chase to build itself a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
"Vanguard did a great job of game planning. They made it really tough for us," said Seltzer. "It was gut check time. We were playing catch up all night long. They clearly were ready for us and we were not ready for them."
 
The Eagles' adapted and the gut check came midway through the third set. Biola was trailing 20-12 in that set and looking very defeated against the Lions, a team who entered the match with a 14-0 record at home in 2014. However, they went on a 9-5 run over the course of the rest of the set to tighten the gap and turn a corner to start picking up speed.
 
It seemed like that advantage faded quickly when Vanguard surged out to a 3-1 lead. The Eagles chipped away and chipped away at the lead until eventually the crucial set was deadlocked at 15 points each.
 
An Alyssa Mason kill, Charlotte Heerlyn attack error and Tess Van Grouw ace built Biola and 18-15 lead and tipped the scales in the Eagles direction where they never looked back as some more errors by Vanguard and strong play from Biola's middle blockers helped the Eagles secure the set.
 
Biola won the first point of set five and never relinquished that lead in the decisive set. The 15-11 win helped Biola claim its second straight five-set win after it began the year 1-3 in such matches.
 
"We could barely keep ourselves together in that match, and then Crissy Cunningham happened," said Seltzer. "It was a great match for her tonight. She played good all around."
 
Cunningham ended the match with five kills and tacked on four blocks. Three of her four blocks were solo blocks on the right side. The four total blocks tie her season best, and it is the first time this year she's posted more than one solo block.
 
Amy Weststeyn had a phenomenal game, hitting .514 and leading everyone with 20 kills. She also had a hand in seven of the Eagles' 13 blocks. There was a lot of blocks in The Pit tonight, with the two teams combining for 27.
 
Biola hit just .168 on the night, accumulating 27 attack errors, which is more than they've had in all but one match this season. It was the closest match of Biola's four straight matches against ranked opponents, despite Vanguard having the second lowest national ranking.
 
"That was the toughest match out of our last four-game set," said Seltzer. "This was the trap game. We were playing off an emotional high and Vanguard is so good at home. That place was packed and the crowd was so loud."
 
In the end, Biola suirvived the environment and is on for a time of rest before continuing its season with its final two home matches on Friday and Saturday night. They improved to 22-4 (10-1 GSAC) with the win.