Slow start pushed aside as women's volleyball beats Oxy in four

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University volleyball team overcame a slow start to win their fifth match in a row with a 3-1 victory over visiting Occidental. The Panthers improved to 8-7 overall and 6-1 in the SCIAC with the 14-25, 25-14, 25-14, 25-18 victory.

The first set was a forgettable one for the Panthers, who moved over .500 for the first time this season. Chapman made 10 attacking errors in the first set with Occidental blocking the Panthers' first swing and going on to get five total blocks in the opening set.

However, Chapman rebounded quickly and left little doubt in the remaining three sets. The Panthers hit .371 in the second, .263 in the third and .351 in the fourth to run their match percentage to .234.

Seniors Sophie Srivastava and Jessi Lumsden led the offensive charge as both ended the night with 15 kills. Srivastava had her seventh triple-double of the season with 26 assists and 17 digs while hitting .367. Lumsden added in a match-high 23 digs and hit .278. Both Srivastava and Lumsden had three aces from the service line. Junior Leighton Gagnon contributed 10 kills from the right side while junior Cat Helgeson had 14 digs.

Oxy built a 10-3 lead to start the match and continued to pile it on in the first set as they cruised to the early advantage. Chapman held a tight advantage early in the second set but pulled away with a five-point run that put the Panthers up 16-8 on a Lumsden kill. Chapman opened an early 9-2 lead in the third and scored the first seven points of the fourth set to key the victories.

The Panthers reach the midway point of the SCIAC season on Friday when they travel to No. 2 CMS for a 7 p.m. match. Chapman returns home on Oct. 12 to take on Whittier at 7 p.m.

By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director

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