Box Score
LA MIRADA, Calif. --- After a tight first set No. 2 Biola Volleyball got into top form and cruised to a three-set win (25-23, 25-20, 25-16) over the Oklahoma City Stars in its home opener on Saturday morning.
 
The Eagles' relentless attack and ability to win points off long rallies was key to their success against an Oklahoma City team that had a solid ability to stuff initial attacks.
 
That ability to get in front of Biola's attack was especially evident early on as the Stars forced Biola to make 38 attack attempts in the first set in order to walk away with the victory. This 38 attacks was eight more attempts than OCU had in getting their 23 points.
 
Joclyn Kirton was the hero of the first set, going 5-of-8 on her attacks without a single error. Ashton Arbuthnot, Alex Breahaut and Tess Van Grouw were also key in maintaining Biola's ability to keep rallies going and eventually win the point. The trip combined for eight digs in the first set.
 
"I thought the girls played really well today," said Head Coach Aaron Seltzer. "We got off to a bit of a slow start, but what I really liked was the demeanor and presence the seniors played with. They
 
Sets two and three highlighted Biola's many areas of strength as its defense began to shut down the Oklahoma City attack and the offense became more and more efficient as the match progressed.
 
Attack opportunities began to be more spread out in set two as Alyssa Mason, Britta Blaser and Lauren Hoenecke all stepped into the attack with ease, combining for seven kills and hitting a combined .700 for the set.
 
Crissy Cunningham was a beast on the serve in the second set, getting two aces without making any errors. In the match, Biola had four aces to OCU's one.
 
"I thought we kept our composure, executed well and finished strong," said Seltzer.
 
Set three was the quickest of all as the Eagles began to taste the victory. The front row defense was what stood out in the least competitive set of the match.
 
The Stars' hitting percentage dropped from .333 down to .097 in set three, primarily because of the four blocks by the Eagles. BU had nine total blocks in the match. Mason had a huge solo block on the far side and the rest were combinations of a few front row defenders.
 
"I liked what Lauren and Alyssa did," said Seltzer. "They got good numbers, but even more than that they were there when we needed them and did a great job closing blocks."
 
Kirton polished off her fine offensive performance with four more kills in the clinching set. Freshman Christina DenBoer made her mark on the final set with three kills of her own. She went 3-for-5 with no errors in the final set and had 11 kills for the match. It was the first double-digit kill performance of her collegiate career. She was efficient too, hitting .450 for the match.
 
With the win Biola improves to 5-0 on the season. Oklahoma City falls to 1-2. The Eagles have the week off before getting back in action at The Master's College tournament on Friday and Saturday.