(NAMPA, Idaho) PLNU Volleyball, receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll, got off to a strong start at the NNU Tournament on Thursday with a three-set sweep (25-13, 25-19, 25-22) of Colorado School of Mines.
Â
Point Loma scored the first five points of the opening set, with
Sophia Baugh serving a pair of aces. Mines got no closer than four the rest of the first, as PLNU took a 1-0 lead in the match by tying its largest margin of victory in a set this season.
Â
The Orediggers then jumped out to a 6-2 advantage in the second set but the Sea Lions went on a 9-2 run to take the lead. A service ace from
Makenna Joyce gave Point Loma set point before a Baugh kill put PLNU up two-sets-to-none.
Â
A tightly-contested opening to the third set turned in the Sea Lions' favor with a 7-1 run. Point Loma extended its advantage in the set to as many as eight after a combined block from
Avery Allemann and
Saren Rogers, before a service error clinched the match for PLNU.
Â
Â
Rogers led all players with 11 kills, while Baugh posted a double-double of 30 assists and 10 digs.
Genevieve Hara (8 kills, 11 digs) and
Abigail Nua (8 kills, 10 digs) almost joined Baugh with double-doubles as well, while Allemann nearly matched her season-high with seven blocks.
Â
Point Loma (4-0 overall) will next play tournament hosts Northwest Nazarene on Friday at 6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT.
"We played a pretty clean game tonight," Head Coach
Jonathan Scott said. "There's still a lot of work to do and just trying to focus on the fellow Nazarenes for tomorrow."
