SAN RAFAEL, Calif. --- Biola Volleyball continued its winning ways on Friday night, sweeping Dominican 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-21) at Conlan Center. The victory marked the Eagles' sixth-consecutive straight-set win and improved Biola to 7-2 overall and 2-0 in PacWest Conference play.
Biola established control in the opening set behind a balanced attack. The Eagles held a 14-10 advantage before breaking the frame open with six-straight points behind the serving of Camille Solovjev. Haylee LaFontaine accounted for three kills during the run, while Solovjev added a pair of service aces to push BU ahead 20-10. Dominican made a late push, but Biola closed out the opener 25-19.
The second set was a battle from start to finish, featuring 12 ties and seven lead changes. Biola created some separation with a 20-16 lead before Dominican battled back and eventually moved ahead 23-22. The Eagles responded with the final three points of the set. Juliana Van Ommering tied the score with a kill, Ashlyn Beebe followed with a service ace and LaFontaine finished it off with a kill for the 25-23 victory.
Dominican continued to challenge the Eagles in the third. Biola opened the set with a 5-0 run, but the Penguins worked their way back and eventually grabbed a 19-18 advantage. BU answered again, scoring four-straight points to regain control at 22-19, highlighted by a Caprice Cooper service ace. Van Ommering added a late kill before Payton Tully put away the match point to secure the 25-21 win and complete the sweep.
"Dominican put some great pressure on us defensively, so it really forced our girls to dig deep and work together," reflected head coach Brian Failinger. "I'm super proud of how they pulled out a really gritty win."
Van Ommering and LaFontaine shared the offensive load with 14 kills apiece. Van Ommering committed just two errors on 34 swings to hit .353, while LaFontaine finished at .300. Alex Strating added another efficient performance with eight kills and no attack errors on 14 attempts for a .571 hitting percentage.
Lexi Lambert led the Eagles with 20 assists, while Hannah Hanson contributed 16 assists and 12 digs. Sophia Knevelbaard anchored the back row with a match-high 17 digs, while Beebe added 10. Cooper finished with eight digs and two service aces, matching Solovjev's two aces from the service line.
Biola continues its Northern California road trip tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 12, taking on Jessup at 1 p.m. at Warrior Arena.
