Leopards still have Chapman's number, spoil home opener

ORANGE, Calif. - No. 18-ranked University of La Verne rallied from opening set defeat to win three straight sets and beat host Chapman University 15-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-21 to spoil the Panthers' home opener at the Hutton Sports Center on Tuesday night. It was La Verne's 21st consecutive victory over Chapman - a streak that dates back to 1999.

Perhaps inspired by playing in front of their home crowd for the first time this season, the Panthers got off to a fast start with a convincing win in Game 1. Junior OH Kela Powers led the way with six of her team-high 12 kills in the first game as Chapman won 25-15.

Momentum from a victory didn't carry into the remainder of the match for Chapman (5-5), which fell behind early in all three losses and was never able to recover. With La Verne (5-4) leading 11-10 midway through the second game, the Leos scored seven of the next eight points to take a commanding lead they would not surrender.

Chapman came closest to evening the match in Game 4, taking a 20-19 lead late in the game. However, La Verne's Crista Jones recorded three of her match-high 25 kills down the stretch and the Leopards out-scored Chapman 6-1 to close out the victory.

The Panthers were also led by senior OH Lyndsey Cargile who finished with 11 kills. Junior S Kat Kowalski had 31 assists and 22 digs for Chapman.

Chapman will be home for five of its next six matches after opening the season with nine straight matches on the road. The Panthers host West Region rival University of Redlands on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Hutton Center.

Box score: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wvball/2009-10/stats/ulv-cu.htm