(SAN DIEGO) It might've been a toga party in the Green Sea student section on Friday night in Golden Gym, but it was a block party on the court for PLNU Volleyball.
No. 16 Point Loma recorded 12 team blocks as the Sea Lions improved to 2-0 on the young season with a four-set (25-13, 26-28, 25-18, 26-24) victory over Northwest Nazarene in the San Diego Invitational.
Jill Leslie dominated at the net with six blocks, including two solo, while recording 10 kills on a super-efficient .562 attack %.
A pair of Leslie blocks helped PLNU jump out to an early 10-3 lead in set one, as the hosts controlled the opening stanza from start to finish.
The Sea Lions looked poised to take a 2-0 set lead with a 15-10 advantage in set two, only for the Nighthawks to come back and level the match.
Point Loma then led by the same 15-10 margin in set three but closed out the set this time on a 6-0 run, as back-to-back
Macy Reynolds service aces put PLNU up two sets to one.
Then in the fourth and ultimately final stanza, NNU saved four match points before kills from
Abigail Nua and
Ellie Nichols clinched the match for Point Loma.
Nua tallied 19 kills for the second straight night to lead all players, while
Sophia Baugh dished out 41 assists. Reynolds had 22 digs to lead the back row.
Point Loma (2-0 overall) concludes the San Diego Invitational on Saturday with a 3 p.m. home match against Cal State San Bernardino (2-0), with the winner taking home the tournament title.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
