This is why you play the games. The Park University Gilbert volleyball team (7-5, 0-1 Cal Pac) came into this matchup with La Sierra as the Cal Pac favorites, on a four-match winning streak and was riding high from sweeping through the ACU Labor Day Festival. Plus, today was the return of All-America Amanda Jonovich, but La Sierra University (4-2, 1-0) had other plans for the Bucs today as the Eagles pulled out an upset of the Bucs with a 3-1 (25-15. 20-25, 23-25, 29-31) win in Riverside, Calif., this afternoon.
Riverside has not been a friendly place for the Bucs as they have lost twice to the Eagles in the last two seasons. La Sierra is the only team other than Embry Riddle to beat the Bucs in the last two seasons in conference.
The first set was all Park Gilbert as the Buccaneers dominated play, led by six kills with no errors from Jonovich. The Bucs hit .483 for the set with 16 kills and only two errors. The Buccaneers held the Eagles to only nine kills in the first frame.
In the second set the Buccaneers were pretty clean in their attack game with 11 kills and only two errors once again as they hit .333 for the set. But six service errors were their undoing as they fell behind and despite a couple of attempts to come back fell short in the second stanza 25-20.
One of the biggest bug-a-boo's for the Bucs this season have been attack errors, after a clean first two sets, the error issue resurfaced as the Bucs committed eight attack errors en route to a 25-23 third set loss.
Park Gilbert jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the fourth set and held a 22-17 lead late. But La Sierra would go on a 6-1 run to tie the match at 23-all and then proceeded to stave off six set point before converting to win the match on its first match point at 30-29. The 31-29 set is the longest set in Park history in terms of points.
If you looked at the box score and did not know the score, you would think the Buccaneers won this match in a rout. The outhit the Eagles in kills (61-49), attack percentage (.287-.237), assists (59-41) and digs (70-53). The one number the Bucs led in that cost them this match was service errors. The Buccaneers committed 19 of them, including two on set points in the fourth set.
Jonovich posted her 13th career double-double with 17 kills and 15 digs. Railey Druxman had her fifth career double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs, but she also led the team in service errors with six. Makenna Busse had 10 kills and hit .562. The Bucs three-headed setting team of Jenifer Lauer (18 assists), Melissa Blockey (16) and Annika Wallace (15) all had a hand in the Bucs hitting prowess on the day. Hattie Patton posted her nine-career match with 20 or more digs and had nine assists in out of system plays.
Park Gilbert would look to rebound and even its record in conference on Saturday, Sept. 10 when they take on Antelope Valley at 6 p.m. from Lancaster, Calif.
