Warriors Bounce Back With Win Against OUAZ

Surprise, AZ – Following two straight GSAC losses, the Warrior's were looking to get back on track in their match against OUAZ.  OUAZ, the defending GSAC champs, entered the match at 7-5 in the GSAC and 12-9 overall.  After dropping a heartbreaking first set, the Warriors took control and never looked back, defeating OUAZ in four sets (28-30, 25-22, 25-22, 25-22).  With the win, the Warriors moved to 12-4 on the season and 9-4 in GSAC play, which has them sitting at 2nd place currently in the conference standings.

The first set of the match really set the tone for what was to come the rest of the match.  Both teams were exchanging point for point in a set that saw the largest margin at 4 points, when OUAZ took a 19-15 lead.  The Warriors were able to fight their way back and even things up at 21-21 in the set.  For the next 12 points, both teams would go back and forth, until OUAZ was able to put the set away 30-28, with a kill and service ace by Livia De Pra.

In the second set, both teams continued their close battle with neither team being able to separate, until the Warriors were fueled by a service run by Daniela H'Orvath, as they built a 19-14 lead.  Hannah Caddow, Bailey Collette, and Audrianna Guzman were vital in this set, establishing themselves on the attack and keeping the OUAZ defense off balance.  Caddow led the way for LPU on the match with 22 kills in 4 sets, while hitting .300.  LPU was able to hold off the late rally by OUAZ, and took the set 25-22.

OUAZ built an early 5-1 lead in the third set, thanks to the Warriors struggling with their serve-receive early on in the set.  They regrouped though and were able to even things back up at 10-10, with Caitlin Riden doing a little bit of everything in the set.  Riden, who surpassed 100 career blocks for LPU, finished the match with 7 blocks to go along with 4 kills.  With the set all tied up at 22-22, Emma McMillan, who leads the GSAC in service aces/set with 0.58/set, came in and put together a 3 point service run for the Warriors, helping them take the set 25-22.

With the momentum on their side, the Warriors came out as the clear aggressors in the 4th set, building an early 9-3 lead on the backs of lengthy service-runs from Lindsey Johnson and Emma McMillan.  The Spirit of OUAZ did not go down without a fight though, as they battled back and evened the set up at 13-13.  Thanks to another service-run by Lindsey Johnson, LPU was able to expand it's lead back to 19-14, which eventually would propel them to a 25-22 victory in the set.  They won the match 3-1, getting them back in the win column, after a two-match skid against Jessup and ACU.

As Coach Wes Schneider reflected on the Warrior's latest GSAC win, he stated, "It was a nice rebound win after our tough loss yesterday.  The girls really stepped up and played with the intensity that we needed to win on the road against a really good GSAC opponent.  Allison and Hannah had some really key digs for us, and Grooms, Audri, and Caitlin were amazing at the net on the defensive side, securing some big-time blocks at key points in the match.  So proud of these ladies."

Match Stats Leaders

Kills

• Hannah Caddow – 22 (.300 hitting percentage)
• Bailey Collette - 12 (.346 hitting percentage)
• Audrianna Guzman - 10

Assists

• Lindsey Johnson - 22
• Daniela H'Orvath - 21

Digs

• Allison Ayala – 18
• Hannah Caddow – 16
• Emma McMillan - 10

Aces

• Emma McMillan - 3
• Lindsey Johnson - 2
• Daniela H'Orvath - 2

Blocks

• Caitlin Riden - 7
• 3 others - 2

Upcoming Schedule

• October 21st vs. (RV) Westmont College
  
  • 7:00pm PST
  • Mehl Court (San Dimas, CA)