PASADENA, Calif. - The Caltech volleyball team battled valiantly in a Saturday home doubleheader, first facing Simpson University and later squaring off with Hope International University in Braun Gymnasium.

Caltech's first matchup was against the Simpson Red Hawks, in which the Beavers played three competitive sets that came down to the wire with scores of 25-19, 25-18 and 25-20.
First-year Brittany Rosario (San Juan, P.R. / San Jaun Math, Science and Tech Center) led the team with nine points and eight kills in the match along with a service ace, followed by classmate Andrea Li (Calgary, Alberta / Sir Winston Churchill) with 7 kills and a block assist.

Caltech returned to the floor to face Hope International after a neutral matchup between the two guest programs. The highlight of the day came in the third set as the Beavers overcame an 11-6 deficit to tie the score at 13-13, responding to the Royals' runs and ultimately prevailing 25-22. Ailsa Shen (Calgary, Alberta / Western Canada HS) showed out with 13 kills on .321 hitting percentage in the match and .500 in the successful third set. Li and Alize Bakker (Portland, Ore. / Westview) both played well with Li totaling eight kills and Bakker with six. Sophomore Celine Wu (Potomoc, Md. / Montgomery Blair) led both teams in the match with 23 digs. Giulia Murgia (Iglesias, Italy Istituto di Istruzione Superiore G. Aspron) was the match leader in assists with 19.

Head Coach Tom Gardner and the Beavers will hit the road to take on La Sierra University on Thursday, Sep. 12. Follow along online at gocaltech.com/coverage.