Lions topple No. 1-ranked Biola

The Vanguard University women’s volleyball team is just two-thirds of the way through its regular season. But in a sense, the Lions took their first step on Tuesday to the kind of campaign their senior-laden roster has envisioned since preseason workouts began.

No. 9-ranked Vanguard showed its merit by knocking off top-ranked and unbeaten Biola, 25-21, 20-25, 28-26, 25-17, amid a volcanically energetic atmosphere at the jam-packed Pit.

“We’ve been preparing all season to beat Biola and we got to play [the Eagles] at home first [in two rounds of Golden State Athletic Conference play],” said senior outside hitter Rachael Barker, who had five of her 15 kills in the clinching set. “So, this was our chance to shine and we were ready.”

The Lions (14-4, 7-0 in conference) were ready early, prepared to rally when needed, and even showed some resolve to come back from a set point to win the extended third set.

The Lions seized opening leads in the first three sets, including a 6-1 cushion to open the match, as senior outside hitter Charlotte Heerlyn converted all seven of her kill attempts in the opening set on her way to a team-best 16 kills on the night.

The Lions trailed, 24-23, in the third set, before Heerlyn tied it with a kill and the hosts went on to prevail on its third set point to move within a game of victory.

“I think we’re just calm,” Barker said of Vanguard’s veteran lineup. “We stay calm, even when it’s 26-26, or 24-24, and we’re able to just make the plays we need to.”

Vanguard trailed, 6-2, and 12-10 in the fourth set, in which a stifling block and some hot hitting late allowed it to pull away from a 13-13 deadlock with four straight points.

“I think it’s the character of this team,” Vanguard Coach Eryn Leja said of the program’s historic first win over a top-ranked team, as well as this group of seniors’ first triumph over Biola. “We have a high-character team that works hard every day. We’ve played some teams against which we’ve had to really be good throughout the matches, or we could have beaten ourselves, and we didn’t let that happen. [The players] have been holding themselves accountable in practice and in those matches, and they’ve prepared really well for this match.”

The Lions finished with a 12-5 advantage in team blocks, and hit .263 as a team, 107 points better than the Eagles (15-1, 7-1), who hit negative .111 in the fourth set.

Though Biola had a 10-1 edge in aces, Vanguard’s consistently well-placed short serves disrupted Biola’s offensive flow, particularly its potent middle attack. And the Lions matched the Eagles in digs, with a match-best 22 going to freshman libero Rebecca Lowden.

Heerlyn finished with a .429 hitting percentage, while Barker hit .314.

Senior middle blocker Stephanie Flores had six kills on nine swings (.667) and senior middle blocker Sarah McKinny led the winners with six block assists to go with her six kills.

Barker had three solo blocks and one block assist, while Heerlyn and sophomore opposite Taylor Jackson each contributed four block assists against the taller Eagles.

Junior setters Kelly Dalrymple and Rory McCloy had 22 and 18 assists, respectively, triggering the Lions 6-2 offense that has helped fuel a nine-match win streak in which Vanguard has lost just five of 32 games. Dalrymple added seven digs, one more than McCloy.

Junior Jessica Chase chipped in eight kills off the bench, while sophomore Amanda Sappington and senior Orange Coast College product Kiana Nicio added stabilizing defense in the back row.

“This was the funnest match ever,” Barker said. “For us, it means a lot and that’s the most important thing. It will help us throughout the rest of our season “

Heerlyn, who like Barker and Leja expressed her appreciation to the raucous and unrelenting rooters, many of whom sat on the floor in front of the limited bleachers, also called it the most enjoyable match of her career.

“This wasn’t an upset to us,” Heerlyn said. “Now, we have to finish the GSAC season undefeated.”