Riverside, Calif. – OUAZ Women's Volleyball continued its strong push through conference play Thursday night, sweeping La Sierra 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-22) at the La Sierra Alumni Pavilion. With the victory, the Spirit improved to 16-5 overall and 10-1 in GSAC play while officially clinching a berth in the GSAC Tournament.
OUAZ put together another balanced performance, finishing with 41 kills, 37 assists, 50 digs, seven service aces, and seven total blocks. The Spirit held La Sierra to a .113 hitting percentage and capitalized on 21 Golden Eagle attack errors to earn their 10th conference victory of the season.
The Spirit grabbed control of the opening set midway through the frame. After the teams battled to an 8-8 tie, OUAZ used a 12-5 run behind the serving of Norma Ramirez-Barba and key kills from Elisa Saunders, McKenna Diederich, Gloria Moye, and Keira Adrian. Adrian capped the set with a service ace as the Spirit rolled to a 25-16 victory.
The second set proved to be the most productive offensively for OUAZ, as the Spirit recorded 18 kills while hitting .275. Ramirez-Barba sparked a decisive 5-0 run with a service ace and helped fuel consecutive kills by Saunders. Diederich and Hannah Allman added timely offense, while Moye provided key points at the net. OUAZ maintained its advantage late and closed out the frame, 25-21, to move within one set of the sweep.
La Sierra mounted its strongest challenge in the third set, overcoming an early deficit and taking a 21-19 lead late in the frame. The Spirit responded when it mattered most. Rylie Henige delivered a pair of clutch kills, Myra Memon's serving helped generate consecutive Golden Eagle errors, and Bella Reach recorded a key kill to put OUAZ at match point. A block from Saunders and Diederich on the final point sealed the 25-22 victory and completed the sweep.
By the Numbers
- Elisa Saunders led the Spirit with nine kills and four blocks.
- McKenna Diederich added eight kills while hitting .500 and contributed four block assists.
- Hannah Allman finished with eight kills on a .381 hitting percentage.
- Gloria Moye recorded six kills and three total blocks.
- Rylie Henige provided five kills while hitting .400.
- Keira Adrian contributed three kills, two service aces, and a team-high 13 digs.
- Norma Ramirez-Barba directed the offense with 16 assists, three service aces, and six digs.
- Isabella Foutz added 12 assists, seven digs, and a service ace.
- Myra Memon recorded eight digs in the victory.
- OUAZ finished with a .301 team hitting percentage while limiting La Sierra to .113.
Up Next
OUAZ (16-5, 10-1 GSAC) will continue its California road trip on Friday, Oct. 23, when the Spirit travel to face Hope International in another GSAC showdown. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. as OUAZ continues its chase for a conference championship.
