Bulldogs Sweep Caltech in SCIAC Opener Before Dropping Non-Conference Road Match at Azusa Pacific
By David James Heiss
Redlands News Collective
REDLANDS — The University of Redlands women’s volleyball team opened Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a straight-set victory over California Institute of Technology before dropping a non-conference match on the road at Azusa Pacific University over the weekend.
Against Caltech on Thursday, Sept. 24, the Bulldogs (3-8, 1-0 SCIAC) earned a 25-15, 25-17, 25-21 sweep inside Currier Gym.
Photo by Peyton Thibault
The Lake Elsinore freshman Jaycee Hullar delivered a standout performance in the SCIAC opening sweep over Caltech, hitting a high-efficiency .688 with 11 kills and multiple key strikes during crucial runs in the first and third sets.
Redlands set the tone early in the opening set, winning 11 of the first 14 points behind two kills from Lake Elsinore freshman Jaycee Hullar and three from San Mateo sophomore Lily Kautai. After Kautai converted a kill off an assist from Buckeye, Arizona, junior Makenna Vanhofwegen to push the lead to 20-8, Caltech responded with four unanswered points.
The Bulldogs closed out the set on a 5-1 run, getting kills from Redlands sophomore Ainsley Dyerly, Portland, Oregon, sophomore Emily Kitchin, and Beaumont freshman Crystal Adams to secure the 25-15 win.
The momentum carried into the second set as Kautai notched three early kills and Portland, Oregon, sophomore Cecily Wagstaff added a kill and a block to build a 7-1 advantage. Caltech trimmed the deficit to 17-14, but Redlands answered with an 8-3 run to seal the set, 25-17.
In the third set, kills from Hullar and Las Vegas senior Makaila Brooks, alongside a service ace by Vanhofwegen, pushed the Bulldogs to a quick 4-0 lead.
Caltech fought back to level the frame at 18-18. A pair of kills from Hullar and a Beaver attacking error gave Redlands a 21-18 cushion, providing enough momentum to close out the match, 25-21.
Kautai led the Redlands attack with 14 kills while hitting .355, while Hullar finished with 11 kills and a .688 hitting percentage. Defensively, Vanhofwegen, Rancho Santa Margarita junior Kaitlyn DeLong, and El Cerrito sophomore Hannah Hajnal anchored the back row with 10 digs apiece. Hajnal added 11 assists to record a double-double.
On Saturday, Sept. 26, Redlands traveled to face Azusa Pacific University in the first meeting between the two programs as NCAA Division III opponents. The Cougars swept the Bulldogs in straight sets in a non-conference matchup. Azusa Pacific is ineligible for SCIAC or NCAA postseason competition this season.
They were scheduled to host California Lutheran University Tuesday, Sept. 30.