The Saint Martin’s volleyball team traveled to San Bernardino, California, to face a pair of Golden Eagles squads Thursday and finished the day with a 1-1 split to open the regular season.
Saint Martin’s stumbled out of the gates against Concordia University Irvine, falling 3-0 (14-25, 22-25, 21-25) before outlasting Cal State LA in five sets (18-25, 25-23, 28-26, 22-25, 15-10).
The Saints didn’t hold a lead until the third set against CUI and led by as many as four at 15-11. But the Golden Eagles used a 7-2 run to pull in front 18-17. After Saint Martin’s led 20-19, CUI finished the sweep with a 6-1 sprint fueled by a pair of Livia Eyre kills.
Emily Garten led the Saints with 12 kills, three aces and six digs in the loss to CUI. Sophie Fast dished 18 assists, and Hanna Ligons added five kills and four blocks.
Saint Martin’s once again started slow in the second game of the day against Cal State LA, falling behind 10-3 in the opening set. The Golden Eagles scored the final four points to take a 1-0 set advantage.
The Saints awoke in the second set and fended off the Golden Eagles in a frame that saw neither team lead by more than four points. Garten recorded eight of her 18 kills in the second set alone.
This back-and-forth action continued into the third set, which featured six ties. Saint Martin’s held the lead throughout the stanza despite the ties, including a 16-10 advantage at one point. Cal State LA took its first lead at 26-25, needing one more point to take a 2-1 set lead. But the Saints rallied with three straight points to swing the match in their favor. Olivia Bassett recorded a kill, Fast pounded a service ace, and the Saints scored the final point on a Golden Eagles attack error.
Yet again, the fourth set contained no sizable leads and showcased how evenly matched the two squads were. Eight ties and three lead changes later, the Golden Eagles pulled away late to win 25-22 and send the match into the fifth set.
Saint Martin’s broke a 7-7 tie with a 5-0 run led by a variety of Cal State LA errors. Leila Quinn put the match away with the final kill to close out a 15-10 fifth-set victory and a 3-2 win.
Garten shined again with 18 kills, 12 digs and one ace. Bassett added 10 kills, and Fast piled up 29 assists, eight digs and two assists.
Saint Martin’s (1-1) will close out the CSUSB Yotes Classic Showcase Friday against Vanguard and Saturday against 25th-ranked Cal State San Bernardino.
