THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. --- Linfield volleyball (1-2) opened the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational on Friday, as their two-set comeback fell just short against the Redlands Bulldogs (5-0) on Friday.
In the opening set, the 'Cats hung close to the undefeated Bulldogs, taking six of seven points late to take a 21-20 lead. But a 4-0 run from Redlands was enough to propel the 'Dogs to a one set lead. Redlands continued to show their strength in the second set, pushing out to a two set lead and putting the 'Cats on their heels.
After dropping the opening two sets, Linfield rallied back with urgency. Linfield never trailed in the third set, taking seven of the last nine points to earn a 25-19 win.
In the fourth, the Wildcats leaned on their serving, with Myre and
Bella Rodriguez each delivering aces that shifted momentum in crunch time. Although the 'Cats trailed 23-22 late, three-straight points kept the Linfield hopes alive. The set closed on a block from Millard and Taliloa, sending the match to a deciding fifth.
The Wildcats nearly pulled off the full comeback, trading points with Redlands all the way to a nail-biting finish. Myre and Millard each came through with late kills, while Rodriguez anchored the back row with 16 digs for the match. The two squads matched each other into extra points, where Linfield captured a 15-14 lead, but were unable to close the match out over the next three points.
Nora Myre was the spark, hammering down 15 kills while also contributing a match-high 23 digs to fuel the Wildcats' comeback bid. She was joined offensively by
Tatum Montiel, who delivered 11 kills, and
Lani Taliloa, who chipped in nine timely putaways. The Wildcat defense at the net was also formidable, as
Katelyn Mawdsley tallied six blocks and
Madison Millard added four more.
Volleyball looks to build on positive effort tomorrow, set to take on Cal Lutheran and Chapman for two matches, starting at 1 p.m.
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