(San Marcos, CA) The Park University Gilbert volleyball team saw its 2023 season end with a five-set 3-2 (27-25, 19-25, 25-20, 14-25, 10-15) loss to UC Merced in the opening round of the California Pacific Conference volleyball Championships at the University of Saint Katherine. This was the first loss in program history in this tournament as the Bucs entered with a 5-0 record having won the last two titles.
The first set was a barnburner with Merced jumping out early 4-1. This three-point advantage would be the largest lead of the game for either team as after the Bucs kept in within two points until they were finally able to tie the score at 11.
Park took its first lead at 14-13 but this would initiate a back-and-firth battle for the rest of the set as there were 11 ties and seven lead changes. The Bucs held a 22-21 lead when the Bobcats went on a 3-0 run to set point. But Merced would give Park a free point with a service error on the first set point. After a Bobcat time out the Bucs duo on Kyla Knight and Mallory Turner rejected an attack from Merced hitter Sera Riley to stave off the second set point.
The Bucs would have to save one more and did so with another attack error from UCM. Tied at 25-all, Taya Hatch came into serve and gave the Bucs their first set point with a service ace. Then after another solid serve which elicited a bad pass, Turner gave the first set to the Bucs with her second kill of the day.
The Bucs won the set despite eight attack errors, but they also led the set with 14 kills to only 11 for Merced.
UCM would answer right back in the second set with 16 kills of its own en route to a 25-19 win. A 4-0 run at 6-all open the lead for the Bobcats and they would lead the set the rest of the way.
The Bucs would return the favor in set three with a 25-20 win where they took the lead early and then maintained the lead throughout the set to get the win. The Bucs won the set despite 10 errors to go along with 13 kills. But the set was won by holding the Bobcats to only eight kills and they had seven errors of their own.
The errors caught up with the Bucs in the fourth and fifth sets when they could not produce enough kills to offset the miscues in their attack. In set four, the Bucs only had eight kills with six errors while Merced countered with 14 kills and three errors. This led to a Bobcat romp 25-14 in the penultimate set.
Then in the fifth, the Bucs could not produce any offense as they only managed two kills in the set. Merced dictated play and also made some solid defensive plays to keep rallies alive as they had nine kills and five errors in the set which kept the Buccaneers in it after falling behind 13-7. But the deficit was too much as Park finishes the season with a 12-15 mark overall.
Railey Druxman led the team with 16 kills and 14 digs and hit.065. Turner hit .455 with 12 kills and two errors. Scranton ends her Bucs career with 14 kills, her second highest career total and hit .239.
Makayla Simmons had 22 digs for her sixth 20-plus dig match of the season. Daniella Miranda-Johnson had 43 assists and a career high 18 digs to end her career. Lexi Golleher finished with 13 digs.
A special thank you to seniors Lexi Golleher, Daniella Miranda-Johnson, Maggie Scranton and Avery Turk who finished their Buccaneers careers today. They helped to build the Park Gilbert program to were it won two Cal Pac Championship and made two NAIA tournament appearances.
Press Release courtesy of Park University Athletics – Preston English
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