THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. --- Linfield volleyball capped off the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational on Saturday afternoon, splitting the pair of Saturday matches, with each finishing in three sets.
GAME ONE
Coming off of a late night, where the 'Cats not only went five sets, but also into extra points. The hosts got out to a quick lead against Linfield in game one on Saturday, taking an early 10-2 lead. The Wildcats kept chipping away, getting within one of the Regals, but it was too-little, too-late, as Cal Lutheran took set one 25-23.
Set two was all Regals, and the third set was controlled by the 'Cats until Cal Lutheran went on a 6-0 run. This run propelled the Regals to a 25-29 win in set three, and a win over Linfield.
Senior outside hitter
Nora Myre powered the offense with 10 kills while also collecting seven digs and two service aces. Fellow outside
Tatum Montiel added four kills, and middle blocker
Katelyn Mawdsley chipped in five kills on a .167 hitting percentage with a pair of block assists. Setter
Pi'ilani Hirahara ran the offense with 13 assists and contributed a service ace and four digs.
Defensively,
Naia Alefaio-Foifua anchored the back row with 15 digs, while libero
Bella Rodriguez added six digs of her own.
Madison Millard provided five kills and a pair of blocks, and
Autumn Gaboury-Parker gave the Wildcats a spark with two kills and two blocks off the bench.
GAME TWO
In the final match of the weekend road trip, and the 'Cats last of the non-conference schedule, Linfield continued to battle in close set after close set. In the first, the two squads were tied four times, but the 'Cats pulled away, scoring seven of the final nine points to take a 1-0 lead.
Linfield was cruising in set two, until Chapman scored eight of ten to come within one at 24-23. Mawdsley stopped the bleeding and gave the Wildcats a 25-23 win to go up 2-0. Looking to capture their first sweep of the season, Linfield's front line put them out to a 10-3 lead in the third set. Once again, Chapman didn't go away, making it a one-score game late in the match. A setting error helped the 'Cats escape with a 25-23 win in set three, to take the match over Chapman.
Myre again set the tone, finishing with 14 kills on an impressive .364 hitting percentage while adding 11 digs for a double-double. Middle blockers were equally effective, as
Lani Taliloa tallied eight kills and nine digs and Mawdsley contributed seven kills and two blocks. Montiel provided steady scoring with seven kills, and Millard chipped in four kills along with two service aces.
The Wildcats also received strong setting contributions from Hirahara, who recorded 18 assists and eight digs, and freshman Margaritah Banuelos, who delivered 11 assists and two aces off the bench. Rodriguez steadied the defense with four digs, while Alefaio-Foifua was again active in serve receive and transition play.
The straight-set victory capped a long day of volleyball with an emphatic performance, moving Linfield to 2-3 overall.
The 'Cats begin the Northwest Conference season on Tuesday in Forest Grove, Oregon, where they take on the Pacific Boxers at 7 p.m.
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