LA MIRADA, Calif. --- After a bit longer wait than normal the Biola Volleyball season began on Wednesday night in front of a pretty full house at Chase Gymnasium. The Eagles hosted former Golden State Athletic Conference foe Vanguard for a preseason exhibition and came away with a stunning 3-2 victory.
 
Biola's new team cruised through the first set before dropping two sets in a row and having to defend four match points in a row in set four in order to stay alive and eventually earn the win in the match (25-17, 21-25, 17-25, 26-24, 15-10).
 
"Tonight was a typical opening match," said Head Coach Aaron Seltzer. "You will play lots of different lineups and different people. It's a time to try things you wouldn't normally do, which made for a lot of moving parts."
 
Biola has won the last three matches against the Lions and now nine of the last 10. It took everything the team had in order to get the job done tonight. The most notable part of the match was the topsy-turvy fourth set that proved to be the turning point.
 
The Eagles got out to a consistent three to six-point advantage throughout the set, looking like they'd easily be able to force a fifth set. That feeling lasted deep into the frame as Biola held a comfortable 20-15 lead before things got really interesting. Vanguard rattled off nine rally wins in a row to take a 24-20 advantage before BU was finally able to side out.
 
After the side out (on a back row kill from Christina DenBoer), Tess Van Grouw took the serve and Biola never looked back. The Eagles would win the next five rallies, getting three Sabrina Winslow kills mixed in, and took the set 26-24.
 
"One of the things I am most excited about is our depth and versatility," said Seltzer. "We wont be one lineup that stays the same throughout the match. We have a lot of people who are really good at a lot of different things."
 
Set five was never really in doubt as the Eagles worked a relatively smooth 15-10 win to seal the match. It was an interesting night indeed as Head Coach Aaron Seltzer had Christina DenBoer and Brinley Beresford out and iced up already in the middle of the fifth.
 
Newbies left a big impression on the night, whether they were freshmen, transfers or players who had to sit out last year. Sierra Bauder, who missed most of last season to injury, led the effort with 12 kills and a team-high .360 attack percentage. Bekah Roth, in her first collegiate contest, hit .333 from the middle to put up six kills with four blocks and three aces in a terrific all-around outing.
 
"I like where we're going," said Seltzer. "We've got a lot of people who can play a lot of different parts and come together to make a real good team. Our freshmen had moments where they were really, really good tonight. With our freshmen pushing for playing time right away it means good things for the future."
 
Winslow, who also had to sit out all of last season, was the critical component in the Eagles' set four comeback. She ended the match with nine kills, a block and hit almost .200.
 
Beresford and freshman Vanessa Garcia split time as the setter for Seltzer's squad. Both were offensively minded throughout, forcing several setter dumps and racking up a combined six kills. Beresford added 27 assists and Garcia 17 as the Eagles' immensely talented hitters did what they do best.
 
"I like where we're going. We've got a lot of people who can play a lot of different parts and come together to make a real good team," said Seltzer.
 
Biola's record will stay at 0-0 since it was an exhibition match only. The Lions were able to count the match and fall to 2-6 on the season despite a valiant effort. The Eagles kick off the real preseason on Friday morning in Northern California. Biola faces Sonoma State (10:30 a.m.) and San Francisco State (4:30 p.m.) on day one of the Route 92 Volleyball Tournament hosted by Notre Dame de Namur.
 
Check the schedule this Thursday afternoon for live streaming/stats information.