PASADENA, Calif. – The Caltech volleyball team hosted local SCIAC rival Occidental College Friday night for an action-packed match in front of a raucous Braun Gymnasium crowd.
Both teams looked to take control of the match early on, and the Beavers staved off a late comeback by the Tigers to come away with a 25-23 win after never trailing in the opening frame. Caltech attacked efficiently and accurately for 17 kills and a .368 hitting percentage in the first set.
Occidental equalized in another close set, evening the match with a 25-22 win in the second set before pulling away for a 25-18 score in the third, taking a 2-1 match lead.
Determined not to concede, Caltech fought back early in the fourth set, stringing together a seven-point run at 5-3 to pull ahead 10-5, capped by a pair of aces by junior outside hitter
Alize Bakker (Portland, Ore. / Westview). The Tigers wanted to put the match away and rallied to a 15-15 tie, but the Beavers surged again and only allowed three more Oxy points on the way to a 25-18 score of their own, forcing a decisive fifth set as the fans grew louder and louder.
The atmosphere was electric for the final set, only increasing in intensity with each of the set's six lead changes and outstanding play by both teams. The Tigers ultimately prevailed after fending off a couple Beaver match points, taking set 5 by a 17-15 score.
The Beavers served up a jaw-dropping 17 service aces in the match, with Bakker, sophomore
Stephanie Wallen (Miami, Fla. / Ransom Everglades) and first-year
Rena Zhang (Peoria, Ill. / Dunlap High School) each tallying four in the match. Bakker added 20 kills and 15 digs while hitting .314 to keep Caltech in contention, and sophomore setter
Ailsa Shen (Calgary, Alberta / Western Canada HS) led both teams with 43 assists. First-year
Veda Chennupati (Collierville, Tenn. / Collierville High School) led the Beavers in hitting percentage at .450 with 11 kills, also contributing a block assist. Senior
Giulia Murgia (Iglesias, Italy / Istituto di Istruzione Superiore G. Asproni) led her team in digs with 19, followed closely by Zhang who had 17.
Head Coach
Tom Gardner and the Beavers will hit the road to face Chapman University on Saturday, Oct. 11.
