PASADENA, Calif. –  The Caltech volleyball team hosted UC Merced and Providence Christian College in an exciting doubleheader in Braun Gymnasium on Saturday.  

The Beavers battled with UC Merced in their first match of the afternoon and fell short in three competitive sets by scores of 25-22, 25-17 and 25-21.

The Beavers fought valiantly the entire match with excellent individual performances across the board. Sophomore outside hitter Alize Bakker (Portland, Ore./Westview) led the team in kills with seven, also tallying a service ace and six digs against the Bobcats. Caltech generated offense from all over the roster with six different players account for at least one kill; along with Bakker, Andrea Li (Calgary, Alb. / Sir Winston Churchill) had five kills, Brittany Rosario (San Juan, PR / Saun Juan Math, Science and Tech Center) had four, Noelle Wilkinson (Bentonville, Ark. / Thaden School) had three and Alisa Shen (Calgary, Alb. / Western Canada HS) and Stephanie Wallen (Miami, Fla. / Ransom Everglades) each accounted for two. Junior setter Giulia Murgia got in on the action, leading the squad with an impressive 14 assists. Murgia also tallied eight digs, and sophomore Libero Celine Wu (Potomoc, Md / Montgomery Blair) led the team in digs with 11. 

In the third set of the opening match, Caltech had two dominant runs, scoring six unanswered points before letting up one, then immediately took control again with another seven points to the Bobcats' zero. Wu chalked three services aces during the second run to help put the Beavers on top 13-4. The set, like the first and second, came down to the wire as Caltech fought until the end.  

After a short rest, the Beavers returned to Braun Gymnasium for their 4 p.m. matchup against Providence Christian. Caltech brought the energy into their second matchup with the Sea Beggars winning the first set with a score of 25-23. Rosario put away the first set with a crucial kill. The Sea Beggars prevailed in a close second set, 26-24, before surging through the third set — Caltech's sixth set of the day — for a 25-14 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Beavers responded fiercely with a six-point run to open the set, with Murgia giving the Beavers a 4-0 lead on four consecutive service aces. The Sea Beggars battled back to tie the score a couple times before Caltech surged again to rack up a five-point lead. Providence Christian fought back but it was too little, too late as Caltech would hold on for a 25-23 win to force a decisive fifth set. Unfortunately the guests erased an early 6-4 deficit in the fifth and claimed the match on a 15-11 set score.

Murgia led the Beavers in assists with 20 in the second match, followed by Lana Saopraseuth (Vancouver, Wash. / Union) with 17. Wu again led her team in the digs column with 18, followed by Bakker and Karen Cao (North Potomac, Md. / Montgomery Blair) with 11 each.

Head Coach Tom Gardner and the Beavers will open up Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play on Friday, Sep. 27 at the University of La Verne.