LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Three weeks after Westmont brought one of Biola's best stretches of the season to a halt, the Eagles returned the favor in dramatic fashion.
Biola rallied from two sets down Saturday afternoon at Chase Gymnasium to complete a reverse sweep of Westmont, 24-26, 24-26, 25-19, 25-15, 15-12, improving to 16-4 overall and 11-2 in PacWest play.
The result provided a fitting reversal of the teams' Sept. 30 meeting in Montecito. On that night, Biola won the opening set before Westmont claimed the next three to snap the Eagles' 10-match winning streak. This time, the Warriors grabbed two razor-thin 26-24 sets before Head Coach
Brian Failinger's team completely changed the match.
Biola's response began with its best offensive set of the afternoon. The Eagles hit .371 with 16 kills in the third, pulling away for a 25-19 win that kept the match alive.
Then the service line took over in incredible fashion.
With the fourth set tied 4-4,
Hannah Hanson stepped back to serve and Biola rattled off eight consecutive points to surge ahead 12-4. The Eagles never allowed Westmont back into the set, eventually winning 25-15 while limiting the Warriors to just three kills and a -.067 hitting percentage. Biola delivered five aces in the frame.
That sent the match to a fifth set featuring six ties and only one lead change.
Neither side could create much separation until Westmont pulled even at 11-11.
Payton Tully answered with a kill, a Warrior attack error followed, and
Haylee LaFontaine pushed Biola to match point with an ace. After Westmont stayed alive once, Tully delivered the final kill to complete the comeback, 15-12.
LaFontaine led Biola with 17 kills, 11 digs and four aces, while Tully was remarkably efficient with 16 kills on 27 attacks and a .481 hitting percentage. Hanson filled the stat sheet with 22 assists, 18 digs and six aces, and
Caprice Cooper added a match-high 21 digs.
Savannah Simpson continued her season known for its efficiency with seven kills and no errors on 17 swings, hitting .412 while adding five block assists. Biola finished with a season-best 16 service aces, including 11 across the final three sets, and outhit Westmont .236 to .171 for the match.
The victory also carried significant postseason weight.
After Saturday's results, Biola sits alone atop the PacWest at 11-2, followed by Concordia at 10-2 and Hawai'i Hilo and Point Loma at 9-2. Only the top four teams advance to the PacWest Championships, scheduled for Nov. 13-14 at Vanguard.
Biola can guarantee a tournament berth by reaching 13 conference wins, meaning two more victories clinch regardless of other results. An earlier clinch is possible Wednesday: if Biola wins at Concordia and Chaminade defeats Westmont, the Eagles would be mathematically in.
Biola's next opportunity comes Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. at Concordia in another matchup between two of the conference's top teams. The Eagles enter that match with an all-time record of 49-21 against their rivals from Irvine.Â
