PASADENA, Calif. – Hope International women's volleyball went on the road for the first time in 2025, coming away with a pair of victories against Caltech and West Coast Baptist on Saturday afternoon.
The Royals toppled host Caltech by scores of 25-16, 25-12, 22-25, 25-10 before knocking off West Coast Baptist in straight sets, 25-14, 25-8, 25-5.
HIU improved to 3-3 on the season.
Savannah Salter led HIU with a career-high16 kills on an efficient .467 (16-2-30) hitting percentage against Caltech. Vianka Martinez posted a career-best 10 kills on .625 (10-0-16) efficiency in the West Coast Baptist match.
The Royals were solid defensively, limiting the Beavers and Eagles to .080 and -.143 hitting, respectively.
Hope International 3, Caltech 1
A host of errors from both teams opened up the action, but the Royals still managed to lead 7-5 in the early going. HIU got its first kill on the eighth point courtesy of Gaby Schirado.
Judy Juhala chipped in a kill to give HIU a 9-6 advantage. The Royals then opened up a six-point lead at 17-11 thanks to a 4-0 run, which included a pair of putaways from Lauren Cummings.
HIU used an assisted block from Kat Schwab and Olivia Samaniego to increase the lead to 20-13. Back-to-back Salter kills got the Royals to set point, and a Beaver service error concluded a 25-16 win for HIU.
A 3-3 tie early in set two became a 7-3 HIU lead as Samaniego pummeled a pair of kills. HIU trailed just once during the set, widening its lead to 15-9 following three consecutive kills by Manaia Mamea.
The Royals built a 10-point advantage at 21-11 following a 5-0 run, punctuated by a Salter slam. They kept the pressure on, scoring the final four points for the 25-12 victory.
Caltech hit .275 in set three and held HIU to .182 efficiency to take the 25-22 triumph. HIU held a 7-2 lead at one point and led 13-9 when Caltech notched four straight point to tie the score.
Leading 17-15, the Royals succumbed to a 7-0 Eagle run – helped along by two Giulia Murgia service aces.
HIU dusted off the disappointment of set three with a successful set four, hitting a match-best .333 with 11 kills. The Royals led from start to finish, utilizing an 8-0 burst to turn a slight 5-3 advantage into a 13-3 bulge. Salter had four kills in the set, and Samaniego closed out the match with her seventh kill.
Hope International 3, West Coast Baptist 0
HIU gave up just 13 points over the final two sets to win easily. The Royals hit a match-high .381 in the second set and limited the Eagles to -.409 hitting in the third set.
Alyssa Bishop got the start at setter for the second straight match and handed out 14 assists, while Macy Thornbury led the back row with 10 digs.
West Coast Baptist led 8-5 in set one, but a 5-0 HIU run gave the lead back for good.
HIU clung to a 14-13 lead, but created distance with another 5-0 burst as Thornbury had an ace during that stretch. Madison Schweitzer also had a kill and teamed up with Olivia Zawalick on a block.
The Royals scored the final six points of the set to take the 25-14 victory.
In set two, the Royals led 4-3 – and another 5-0 run – boosted by a pair of Thornbury aces opened up a 9-3 lead. The lead grew to 12-4 and 15-5, and the Royals were never threatened, taking the 25-8 win.
The Royals owned a 14-5 edge in set three and reeled off 11 straight points to close out the match. Alex Jacks served up four straight aces during the run.
HIU returns to action on Wednesday at Westcliff. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
