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SAN DIEGO - The idea of lucky "number seven” doesn't mean a thing in the Golden Gymnasium. For the second time this season, NAIA No. 19-ranked Point Loma Nazarene sent the No. 7-ranked team home very upset. The first was Concordia just over a month ago. This time it was Biola.
In five games, the Sea Lions (17-12, 11-9 GSAC) defeated the Eagles, outscoring them by just three points Saturday afternoon on “Senior Day” (25-17, 29-27, 20-25, 21-25, 15-13).
PLNU cruised over Biola in the first set, where they plowed them over, 25-17. Tabitha Henken dealt out seven kills and Alyssa Dwyer added four to secure the easy, eight-point-lead victory.
The second set was not so simple. More like a game of tug-of-war, the Sea Lions and the Eagles pulled back and forth for 29 points. Point Loma had the final tug, winning 29-27 on their fifth set-point attempt.
The hitting of Henken was challenged by Biola's Christine Douglas, but after a long set of power struggle, a timely kill from Dwyer followed by an even timelier block with Maddie Dahms put them down for good.
The Eagles proved that their wings were not clipped just yet as they flew back to win the third set 25-20. Biola never allowed Point Loma to take one lead the entire game, consistently preceding the home team by about three points. The Eagle's Douglas collected eight winners in the victory.
Even after coming back from a six-point deficit early in the fourth, the Sea Lions were still unable to bridle the power of Douglas and Tavea Hampton. PLNU lost 21-25, forcing the match to a fifth set.
Henken scored over half of PLNU's points, with eight kills to lift the Sea Lions over the Eagles in the all-or-nothing fifth set (15-13). After Biola scored four unanswered points and lead 13-11, Point Loma came back thanks to a kill from Henken, and a ball handling error from Biola's Douglas, followed by an attack error from teammate Rachel Buckley. Then Aimee Bird sent the Eagles back to La Mirada with a service ace to win the match.
“It feels so good because this is what we work for all year,” said Bird. “The ace was just one point of the match. Everyone was doing their job today.”
Henken is leading the NAIA in kills per game, and tonight, the 6-foot-2 Carlsbad, Calif. native added 33 to her tally. Hot on her heels was Biola's Douglas, with 31.
Freshman Dwyer swung dangerously also, with 15 winners, while Maddie Dahms, still hot from Tuesday night, added 12.
The Eagles (25-8, 16-4 GSAC) hit .298 with six blocks while the Sea Lions averaged .259 and had 13 blocks.
Nicole Eiler collected 31 digs and Henken and Bird combined for 27. Natalie Hamill and Bird practically split 59 assists down the middle. Dwyer was merciless with 10 total blocks.
Combining the win with results in conference tournaments around the NAIA, it seems that the Sea Lions are almost guaranteed to host a NAIA Nationals Opening Round match next Saturday. However, it is not a given until brackets are announced on Sunday.
For one player, tonight could have been her last home game as a Sea Lion. Senior Alyssa Pitkin was able to celebrate with her teammates. The Fresno, Calif. native observed more than just a win tonight.
For Pitkin, her final campaign didn't go as planned. After blowing out her ACL in third conference match of the season, Pitkin's future didn't look so bright. But, the 5-foot-10 outside hitter toughed it out anyway, making her one of 20 percent of people that can function after suffering such an injury.
“This game means a lot,” Pitkin said. “It wasn't about me. It was about my team. My injury doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that we played like a team. This win is exactly what we need to get us ready for Nationals.”
