No. 2 Cal Lutheran fends off feisty Chapman in four sets

ORANGE, Calif. – Once again, the Chapman University volleyball team appears to be playing its best ball of the season here at the end, but isn't getting much to show for it. Despite winning the first set and playing well throughout, the Panthers fell to No. 2-ranked Cal Lutheran University in four sets 25-27, 25-19, 25-22, 25-20 at the Hutton Sports Center on Saturday night.

The loss comes just a few days after Chapman (7-16 overall, 6-7 SCIAC) lost in five sets to another West Region power La Verne.

The Panthers have now won-one, lost-one over the past nine matches and can't seem to climb up over the .500 mark in SCIAC play. Chapman again fell two games back in the standings of fourth-place Pomona-Pitzer for the final SCIAC Tournament berth with three matches to play.

Three different Cal Lutheran (23-2 overall, 12-1 SCIAC) players earned double digits in kills, led by sophomore Michelle Lawerence with 16. Junior OH Allie Eason finished with 14 kills and added five block assists.

Chapman was led offensively by junior OH Michele Hammer with 13 kills and 12 digs. Senior libero Andi Frisina finished with 28 digs to lead all defenders. Senior MB Val Geiger finished with 11 kills and is now 15 shy of second place in Chapman history with 1,133 career kills.

The Panthers will travel to Pomona-Pitzer on Tuesday for a showdown against the team they are chasing in the standings. A loss would eliminate Chapman from the possibility of a postseason berth. Chapman returns home on Halloween night to face Occidental College at Hutton Center at 7:30 p.m.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Boxscore: http://chapmanathletics.com/sports/wvball/2014-15/boxscores/20141025_hipe.xml

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