ORANGE, Calif. – A sweep of Buffalo State and a reverse sweep of nationally-ranked Case Western Reserve led to a 2-0 start to the season for the Chapman University women's volleyball team. Olivia Harrison led the Panthers to the pair of wins with strong numbers on both sides of the net.
W, 3-0 vs. Buffalo State
Harrison had 13 kills on .704 hitting in a 25-20, 25-23, 25-19 sweep of Buffalo State on Friday. She added seven total blocks, including three solo stuffs, to fuel the Panthers to the dominant win.
Chapman put up 13 blocks as a team to spur the Buffalo State attack in all three sets. While the Panthers hit .292 as a team, the Bengals hit just .126.
Olivia Sampson added 10 kills for the Panthers while Maisie Jaworsky made her Chapman debut with six total blocks to go along with a pair of kills.
W, 3-2 vs. No. 25 Case Western Reserve
Another 13 blocks from Chapman and 17 kills from Harrison led the Panthers to the comeback 23-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-11 win. The Chapman outsides also hit their stride offensively with Brooke Leslie putting down 17 kills and Sampson adding in another 16.
The block was once again a key component in securing the victory as Chapman averaged over three blocks per set through its first two matches. In the final four sets, Ava Bradbury led that effort with eight total blocks. As she was inserted into the lineup for the second set, Bradbury proved to be a difference make with two solo blocks in her eight total.
Jaworsky also continued to put up a big block as she moved to the right side, tallying seven total blocks in the match. Clara Cronin had 34 digs to lead the defensive effort from the back row while five different Panthers recorded double digit digs.
After losing the first two sets, the Panthers pulled away late in the third to extend the match. In the fourth set, neither team was able to put together more than a three-point run. With the Panthers clinging to a 21-20, Chapman's side out came on a Harrison kill and was followed by a service ace from Kelsey Magley. Chapman traded points from there to force a fifth.
Chapman went down 6-3 early on but fought back to take a lead and pulled away on back-to-back service aces from Sammy Chambers, who also had 46 assists, to take an 11-8 lead. Lia Ono served up another ace in the next rotation and Harrison slammed down the winning kill to clinch the reverse sweep.
The Panthers head to Whittier for four matches next weekend, facing UC Santa Cruz and Whitman on Friday.
