REDLANDS, Calif. — Brittany Yaxley led the match with 15 kills, Kelsi Robinson had 11 and the University of La Verne volleyball team swept Redlands on the road Tuesday night, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14.
How it happened: After a competitive Game 1, the Leopards slowly gained steam and pounced on clumsy offensive sets by the Bulldogs to complete the sweep.
After the Bulldogs got within 13-10 in the second set on a kill by Kailee McCoy, the Leopards turned on their jets and ended the set on a 12-3 run to deflate the Bulldogs. Yaxley had a pair of aces, Robinson put down three kills and the Leopards also got points from Cassie Thompson and Ashlyn Cross during the stretch.
La Verne carried the momentum into the third set as it roared out to a 5-0 run in the on contributions from Cross, Robinson and Yaxley. The Bulldogs never recovered and were unable to cut the deficit to less than five points the rest of the way.
Players of the game: Robinson and Yaxley were on fire. The duo combined for 26 kills on 40 attempts while committing just three errors for an incredible .575 kill percentage. They also dominated other aspects of the game, combining for seven block assists, seven digs and four service aces.
Setters Tiffany Mancuso and Kailey Faust facilitated the attack with 17 assists apiece.
Stat of the game: For the second time in three games, La Verne hit better than .402 as a team. The Leopards' smart, aggressive serving kept the Bulldogs out of their sets all night.
The Bulldogs spent most of the evening chasing the Leopards' attack and managed just 19 kills to 12 errors in 66 attempts (.106). Redlands' leader in kills, Marisa Gile, finished with six.
Cross finished with five kills and zero errors in six attempts. Nysa Allen, Destinee Sales and Cassie Thompson each added four.
What it means: The Leopards (8-2, 3-1 SCIAC) bounced back in a dominant fashion after a tough five-set loss to No. 19 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps last Saturday.
La Verne is also starting to garner national attention for its hot start as it received votes in the latest AVCA Division III Coaches Poll.
Up next: La Verne will look to put together another complete performance when it hosts Chapman (3-8, 2-0 SCIAC) on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
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