LA VERNE, Calif. (Sept. 6)- The Saint Vincent women's volleyball team opened up their California trip with a 3-1 against Occidental College.
 
Saint Vincent (3-2) lost the first set against the Tigers (2-2) before the next three sets by scores of 25-23, 25-20, and 25-13.
 
Kaelyn Staples-Klasnic picked up where she left off in the Bearcat Challenge, as she picked up a game-high 15 kills for the Bearcats against Occidental. Meegan Williams also had a big day for SVC with a 13 kill-10 dig double-double.
 
Madie Eagler added 28 assists and Lauren Fox had five kills for Saint Vincent. Maya Martell added seven kills and Stacie Ramos recorded nine digs for the Bearcats.
 
It was a back-and-forth opening set for the Bearcats and Tigers. Tied at 18-18, Occidental took the first major advantage of the set as they scored three in a row to take a 21-18 lead. The Tigers then went on to score four of the final five points to take the opening set (25-20), as Saint Vincent trailed 1-0.
 
Once again, the second set opened up with the team's trading points as the set was tied 10-10. Occidental then went on a 10-4 run as the Bearcats found themselves trailing 20-14. After a Bearcats timeout, they quickly answered with a 6-0 run where Williams and Martell both had two kills in the run as the set was tied 20-20.
 
SVC scored five of the final seven points, including two of the final three points on kills from Williams, allowing the Bearcats to win the second set (25-23), tying the match up at 1-1.
 
The Tigers again took the first advantage in the third set. The Bearcats quickly found themselves trailing 8-4, before the Bearcats stormed back to tie the set up at 14-14. Both teams traded the next few points as the set remained tied at 18-18, before Occidental took a 19-18 advantage.
 
Another late run helped power the Bearcats, this one a 7-1 run to win the third set (25-20), giving SVC a 2-1 lead in the match. For the second set in a row, Williams won the set point with a kill.
 
It was all Saint Vincent in the final set. The Bearcats scored the first 11 points in the set and never looked back. Their lead quickly increased to 19-10 and then 23-10 as they had full control over the Tigers. A kill from Dakota Hershberger and attack error by Occidental allowed the Bearcats to win the fourth set (25-13) and the match 3-1.
 
The Bearcats compiled a strong .269 hitting percentage over the course of the match. Saint Vincent also recorded 12 service aces, half of which came from the combination of Eagler and Martell. SVC also had six blocks in comparison to just three from the Tigers.
 
Ariana Carranza led the way for Occidental with 15 kills, while Eliana Channell added 11 kills for the Tigers. Ayla Shores had 18 assists and Leena Albelo recorded 16 digs as well.
 
The Bearcats will continue their California trip with two matches on Saturday, September 7. The Bearcats will first take on Redlands at 1 p.m. EDT followed by a 5:30 p.m. EDT matchup against Pomona-Pitzer.