SAN DIEGO—In the last game of a three-game home stretch the Sea Lions hosted the Eagles of Biola University. The teams met previously on the season at Biola with PLNU taking home the 3-2 victory. The first set was a tough battle throughout with the Eagles grabbing the win 25-23 to take the 1-0 set lead. Biola would go up 2-0 in the match coming from behind to take set 2, 26-24. The Sea Lions wouldn't go quietly though as they battled back taking the third set 26-24. Biola would prove to be too much for Point Loma to handle and took the fourth set and the match with a 25-23 win.
 
Despite the loss, the Sea Lions put together one of their toughest matches of the season. The team was without three of their starters and their teammates stepped up the intensity to fight for every point. Holley Persson recorded a career-high 40 digs in just a 4-set match. Alyssa Rifilato blew her previous career-high out of the water swinging for 20 kills and a .302 hitting percentage, she also contributed 9 digs to the effort. Freshman Tyler Gebhart stepped up in her first career start to contribute 6 block assists, leading the team, to go along with 6 kills.
 
Team Records
PLNU (6-11, 3-6), BU (11-5, 5-3)
 
Scott's Thoughts
On his team's performance:
"We saw grit, we saw competitiveness, we saw teamwork."

On the career nights for his players:
"Holley has been inching close and close to breaking [Fisher's] record and she was pretty darn close. She fought hard tonight, maybe she will get it later this year. Alyssa had a career-high in kills and we needed every one of them."

On the back-and-forth nature of the games:
"It is strange how this game works, teams that are of a similar mindset tend to finish in tight ones. When we played them at their place every game was like what we saw tonight but we were able to beat them in the fifth set by two points. The game just turned into a dirty battle."

Looking ahead to Fresno Pacific:
"We've got a short turnaround, this is always a tough trip. I am hoping the girls can take care of themselves and if we can bring even 75% of the grit that we had tonight that would be pretty cool."


Scoring Summary
Set 1: BU 25, PLNU 23
Set 2: BU 26, PLNU 24
Set 3: PLNU 26, BU 24
Set 4: BU 25, PLNU 23

 
News and Notes
> Holley Persson notched 15 digs in the second set alone.
> In addition to Rifilato, both Jaime Cymbaluk and Emily Coleman set career-highs in kills. Cymbaluk notched 17 and Coleman swung for 11. 
> This was the third straight game where Cymbaluk has posted a career-high in kills. 
> Each of the four sets saw the winner come from behind to take the set. 
> Persson not only set a career-high but she also tied the school record for digs in a match, previously held by Christin Fisher.
> Cara Keturakis added another double-double on the season with 48 assists and 10 digs, she also contributed 7 kills. 

Up Next
The Sea Lions will be headed on the road for a three-game stretch starting with a game at Fresno Pacific on Saturday at 3 p.m. The team will be home once again on October 26^th when they host Azusa Pacific.