(SAN FRANCISCO) PLNU Volleyball set a new program record for its best-ever start to a PacWest season after defeating Academy of Art in four sets on Saturday afternoon (37-35, 20-25, 25-22, 25-17).
With the win, Point Loma improves to 15-4 overall (12-0 PacWest), surpassing the 2013 team that won 11-straight games to open up PacWest play. Point Loma's 12-match winning streak is also its longest unbeaten stretch in the program's NCAA era.
"We've won games with different lineups and I'm proud of that," Head Coach
Jonathan Scott said. "ART U battled hard and pushed us really well."
The Sea Lions started brightly with three-straight kills from
Bailey Williams to open the match, before the Urban Knights battled back to take the lead. With PLNU ahead 18-16, ART U went on a 7-0 run to take a commanding advantage late before earning set point at 24-20.
However, a
Torina Hommes service ace that was bookended by two
Claire Smith kills helped Point Loma save four set points to prolong the opening stanza.
Neither team was then able to take the necessary two-point lead to clinch the set until
Anna Massari's kill and
Macy Reynolds' service ace clinched a marathon first.
"That first set was a combination of horrific and just so great at the same time," Scott said.
The hosts responded to win the second before the visitors bounced back from an early third-set deficit to take a two-sets-to-none lead.
Then in the fourth, another Reynolds ace capped off a 4-0 PLNU run that gave the Sea Lions their largest lead of the set, 22-14.
Hommes then clinched the set and the match with a kill to ensure Point Loma set a new program record for its best start to a PacWest season.
Four Sea Lions reached double figures in kills, led by Williams (17 kills, 17 digs) and followed by Hommes (15 kills, five blocks), Smith (13 kills, six blocks) and Massari (11 kills, nine blocks).
Sophia Baugh (26 assists) and
Lauren Phillips (22 assists) orchestrated the offense, while Reynolds and
Rosie Cline tallied 23 and 20 digs respectively.
Point Loma (15-4 overall, 12-0 PacWest) returns home to Golden Gym on Friday at 6 p.m. when PLNU hosts Hawai'i Hilo on Dig Pink Night in support of breast cancer awareness.
The Sea Lions defeated the Vulcans in five sets back on Sep. 23 in Hilo.
