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ATHERTON, Calif. – They traveled a long way and put in some odd hours in a hot gym, but according to Wayland Baptist volleyball coach Jim Giacomazzi the team's trip to California was well worth it.
The Pioneers wrapped up the Menlo College Tournament on Saturday night by defeating the host team, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17, 25-22. That followed a loss on Saturday afternoon to Vanguard University, 25-23, 26-24, 21-25, 25-16, as the Pioneers pushed their record to 8-2.
"I'm pleased with this tournament how we jumped into the fire a little bit. We came out a little synged, but that's not a bad thing," Giacomazzi said. "We have some things to work on. We couldn't have done this out where we are."
The Pioneers saw four quality California opponents, having beaten No. 20 Cal State-San Marcos in four after losing to No. 9 The Master's in five on Friday. Meanwhile, Vanguard received votes in the preseason Top 25, and Menlo beat both Cal St.-San Marcos and The Master's.
"We now understand the need for improvement. We experienced it first-hand the changes we need to make," Giacomazzi said. "The girls are thinking of drills to help them get better. We all need to work a little bit harder."
Giacomazzi called the trip "exhausting" as the Pioneers played in a hot, humid gym on Pacific time. In fact, they ended Saturday night's final match against Menlo College at 12:15 CST. "They're pretty drained."
Against Menlo (4-3), Wayland cruised to a 25-18 first-set win and was on its way to taking the second set before the Lady Oaks came on strong late. The Pioneers led, 22-21, but Menlo won four of the next five points to prevail, 25-23.
"We got lackadaisical and they got back into it," Giacomazzi said. "We've got to get a little more intense and focused. Our players are all so friendly out there. We need somebody who's a little mean-spirited, but they're all too nice."
He said the Pioneers "came out with a little bit more intensity" for the third set, and Wayland took a 7-1 advantage on the way to a 25-17 win. WBU seemingly was in command of set four as well, leading 20-14, but the Lady Oaks ran off seven straight points to take a one-point lead. It was tied at 22-all when the Pioneers buckled down and tallied three in a row to secure the match, the final point coming on a combined block by Cindy Horn, Shahala Hawkins and Claire Jacobsma.
"There was a lot of crazy stuff going on," Giacomazzi said. "There were some combination plays that they ran they we need to get better at recognizing, and we need to get our blocking errors down.
"We got some playing time for a lot of people, which was one of the goals for this match. I felt like we would win it."
Unofficially, Wayland hit .265 in the match compared to .099 for Menlo. The Pioneers had 11 blocks versus four for the Lady Oaks. Other stats were not immediately available.
"We've been in double-digit blocks almost every match," Giacomazzi said. "Our digging can get better. I still want to see quality contacts where we convert those into points. That just takes time."
Against Vanguard (Costa Mesa, Calif.) on Saturday afternoon, Giacomazzi said he knew the Pioneers would have their hands full, and he was right. Earlier in the season the Lions (8-2), who were ranked the equivalent of No. 29 in the preseason Top 25 poll that had Wayland the equivalent of 33rd, knocked off sixth-ranked College of Idaho in four.
"We knew they were a talented team. They're pretty balanced," Giacomazzi said. "They'll probably win their conference (Golden State Athletic Conference), which is a real strong conference." A GSAC team has won the national championships eight of the last 10 years.
Wayland held leads in the first two sets, but Vanguard rallied to win them both, 25-23 and 26-24.
In the first set, the Pioneers were slow out of the gates and trailed early by as many as six before slowly working their way back in it, ultimately tying it at 23. A long volley resulted in Vanguard taking the lead, then the Lions won it on a kill that just caught the line.
The tables turned in set No. 2 as Wayland took an early lead before Vanguard rallied to take the upperhand. Again it was tied at 23 when a kill by Horn put the Pioneers ahead. Vanguard, however, recorded the next three points to take a 2-0 lead.
After Wayland took the third set, 25-21, on a clinching ace by Ashlyn Westerman, the Pioneers never found their groove in the fourth set and fell, 25-16.
"The first two sets we lost as opposed to them beating us; the fourth one they beat us," Giacomazzi said. "We were not mentally sharp, and the girls were a little fatigued.
"Two of their players pretty much had their way with us," the coach said. "They caught us at our weakest point."
Jacobsma and Hawkins had 12 kills and four block assists apiece, with Jacobsma committing just two errors and hitting .500. Grecia Rivera added 10 kills and Horn nine. As a team, WBU finished with 47 digs compared to Vanguard's 51, while the Lions held a commanding edge in blocks, 17-8.
"We did well with our hitting, but we need to learn how to set up the block better," Giacomazzi said, adding that Westerman was "out of her comfort zone" as the Pioneers tried to force the middle. "That's a little different animal for her, but she's going to get better (as we play more). We're getting better all the time."
The Pioneers continue their month-long, 16-match road swing in Salina, Kan., where they'll participate in the Kansas Wesleyan Invitational next weekend. The Pioneers play at 2 and 6 p.m. Friday against Tabor College and York College, and at 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday against College of the Ozarks and Kansas Wesleyan. Both College of the Ozarks and Kansas Wesleyan received votes in the preseason Top 25.
