BU drops season-opening matches to Vanguard and Master's

Vanguard Box Score
Master's Box Score

LA MIRADA, Calif. -- The Bellevue University volleyball team lost a pair of matches at the Biola University/Red Lion Summer Slam to open the 2014 season Thursday. BU fell to No. 22 Vanguard University 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-16) before being swept by No. 19 The Master's College 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-17)

Symone Faulkner led the Bruins on the day, registering 25 kills while hitting .468 and adding a pair of blocks. 

The Bruins (0-2) will continue action at the Summer Slam on Friday (Aug. 22) with a 10 a.m. match against Cal State-San Marcos, before concluding the tournament with a 6 p.m. contest against the eighth-ranked tournament host, Biola University. 

No. 22 Vanguard 3, Bellevue 0

The Bruins hit just .089 in the season-opening loss to Vanguard. Faulkner paced BU with 10 kills on .588 hitting while adding two blocks. 

Beth Walker registered 20 assists, seven digs, four kills and a block in the loss. 

Jessica Neves led the Lions with 12 kills on .450 hitting, while collecting seven digs, seven assists and three blocks as VU improved to 1-1 on the season. 

Bellevue committed 22 hitting errors in the match along with seven service errors.

Starting rightside hitter LaJaida Even left the match with an ankle injury just three points into the contest. 

Vanguard hit at a .322 clip for the match as 16 Lions saw action. 

The Master's 3, Bellevue 0

Faulkner led BU in the 3-0 loss to The Master's, finishing with 15 kills on .400 hitting and was the only Bruin in double figures in both matches. Freshman Rachel Wald tallied eight kills and a match-high 10 digs.

Walker dished out 32 assists while adding nine digs and three kills. Taylor Holz chipped in nine digs and three assists in the loss.

Bellevue hit .429 in the opening set, but TMC countered with a sizzling .517 hitting percentage to squeak out the 25-23 win. Faulkner had seven kills on nine errorless attacks in the first set.

The Bruins fought back from a six-point deficit in the second, tying the game at 15-15 capped by a service ace from Wald. The Mustangs pulled away, closing the game on a 10-4 run as BU committed three hitting errors and a pair of service errors to give TMC the 25-19 victory.

Bellevue raced out to a 6-1 lead in the third set before the Mustangs went on a 9-2 spurt to surge ahead 10-8. The Bruins got as close as 15-14 after a kill by Pimi Dike, but TMC used six BU hitting errors to close out the match on a 10-3 run, giving the Mustangs the sweep.