SAN DIEGO–Only two weeks removed from their last trip to the Bay Area, the Sea Lions were on the road in northern California once again to face the Hawks of Holy Names. The two teams met earlier in the season in San Diego with the Sea Lions coming away with the 3-0 victory. Point Loma would win in almost identical fashion taking the match 25-16, 25-18, 25-18.
The Sea Lions got out to hot start, extending their lead to 11-4, before mounting errors allowed the Hawks to get back into the match. But with each run Holy Names put together, the Sea Lions were able to push back and keep the Hawks from taking the lead. The team went on an 8-2 run to close the first set and never looked back. Point Loma only relinquished the lead once in the entire match, down 7-6 in the second set, and capitalized on HNU errors to keep momentum in their favor.
Cara Keturakis led the offense, dishing out 34 assists to go along with seven digs and five kills. The Sea Lions utilized 14 players in the match with 11 different players registering a kill in the match.
Jaime Cymbaluk led the team with seven total kills in two sets of action while
Ashlynn Fresques put down six kills on a .455 hitting percentage.
Courtney Dyer anchored the defense with 20 kills for the match.
Team Records
PLNU (12-7, 9-3 PacWest), HNU (3-15, 2-10 PacWest)
PacWest Implications
Point Loma extends their conference win streak to five matches, and continue to sit in fourth place at 9-3. Hawaii Hilo and Biola each sit ahead of the Sea Lions with only two conference losses, while APU is at the top with only once conference loss on the season.
Turning Point
Heading into set three, the Sea Lions were awarded a point for a Holy Names delay of game. The team went into the set with the advantage and pushed to a 10-2 lead to swing all the momentum in their favor.
Scott's Thoughts
On the team keeping the momentum in their favor: "We fought really hard on defense. When we make the decision to fight hard on the defensive side, we're pretty good."
On getting great contributions from several players: "It was a great team effort, several different girls stepped up at several different times. We were able to rely on somebody different consistently and that's ultimately the endgame, that we can be an unpredictable team where everyone can step up."
On Dyer's defensive effort: "Courtney did a great job back there and it was definitely the highlight of the match when she came back after the bloody nose."
On the quick turnaround to face Academy of Art: "We just need to rest and recover and hopefully we can reengage with a completely different team in a gym we haven't been in yet, but we are excited."
Scoring Summary
Set 1: PLNU 25, HNU 16
Set 2: PLNU 25, HNU 18
Set 3: PLNU 25, HNU 18
News and Notes.
> The Sea Lions played 14 different players which was a season high.
> Five different players registered five or more kills.
> Five of the Sea Lions aces were earned due to HNU rotation errors.
> The team has now matched their conference and regular season win totals from last season.
> Cymbaluk has registered four or more aces in four matches on the season.
Up Next
The Sea Lions have a quick turnaround as they play at Academy of Art tomorrow at 1 p.m. The team is back at home on Oct. 16 for their annual Dig Pink match.
