Donya Rouzbehi
Staff Writer
It was another 3-0 sweep for the women’s volleyball team against the Caltech Beavers Oct. 31 at Frantz Athletic Court to extend their winning streak to 22 matches. However, the streak came to an end in a tight 3-2 loss on the road to Redlands on Tuesday night.
The Leopards are still ranked No. 1 in the nation for D3 volleyball with a 22-1 record.
“I think we felt pretty good the whole time,” head coach Jeff Hendershot said after the Caltech match. “I think what’s important for us is team effort. We have our starting lineup going but you never know when you’re going to get people into games in really critical moments.”
Sophomore middle blocker Mariah Ray made a kill leading the Leopards to win the first set against the Beavers, 25-10.
The second set started off with Caltech serving, however, the Leopards scored the first point of the match with a kill.
Freshman libero Morgan Watkins is proud of her team’s record.
“I’m really excited about it,” Watkins said. “I think every win, whether big or small, still contributes to our record and all the things we’ve accomplished.”
Later on in the set, the Leopards led 20-15. With a kill made by senior middle blocker Kat Bloomer, the Leopards won the second set, 25-17.
Junior outside hitter Emma Yogan thinks a lot of the team’s energy comes from the bench.
“We do a lot of fun cheers and that really helps the people on the court keep up their
energy, play their best and have fun,” Yogan said.
Ray made the first point of the third set for the Leopards, but Caltech then took a 3-2 lead.
The Leopards were leading 8-5 when sophomore libero Tova Craig made a serve. Yogan made an attack followed by multiple passes on the outside when Caltech made an attack that went out of bounds. The Leopards scored to lead 9-5.
The Leopards won the third set, 25-21, after a kill by Yogan.
“I think making sure we’re sticking to our game plan and just sticking to the basics, when we know how to play volleyball, we execute it very well,” senior outside hitter Mya Ray said. “The best part of the night is us running on the court securing another win.”
On Tuesday night in Redlands, the nation-leading winning streak came to an end. La Verne got out to a strong start, winning the first two sets. However, the Bulldogs’ physical play wore down the Leopards to pull out the 3-2 upset.
The Leopards will have their next match at 7 p.m. Friday against Occidental at Frantz Athletic Court for senior night. They will close out the regular season on the road in Chapman at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Donya Rouzbehi can be reached at donya.rouzbehi@laverne.edu.
Donya Rouzbehi is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print/online journalism, and staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. She has previously served as sports editor and a staff writer for the Campus Times, and is co-editor-in-chief of La Verne Magazine. Her other writing can be found at trillmag.com/author/donya-rouzbehi
Ronald Banks is a senior photography major and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine.
