After falling to both Southern Methodist and Pittsburgh in three sets, Wednesday afternoon’s matchup against California presented a chance for Boston College volleyball to rebound in conference play.
But BC did not achieve that goal, as the Eagles (16–15, 5–14 Atlantic Coast) fell to the Golden Bears (8–21, 5–14) in three sets, marking their third straight 3–0 loss.
Despite BC being 16–15, one thing that has stood out for the Eagles this season is their inability to convert conference matchups into wins. That rang true in Berkeley, Calif., on Wednesday when they lost their 14th ACC game. BC will play one more conference game in its final game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 29.
The last time BC played California was on Oct 12, when the Eagles defeated the Golden Bears 3–1 at home. Of the 54 kills BC notched in that game, Sam Hoppes and Audrey Ross combined for 32.
This time around, BC’s output was nearly cut in half as they registered 29 kills to California’s 42. Ross, the team’s leader in kills, tallied just six kills against the Golden Bears.
The Eagles were in the game to start the first set, trading punches with California. But after knotting the game 4–4 with back-to-back kills from Ross and Anna Herrington, BC never again found itself even with the Golden Bears.
California went on a 5–0 run to establish a 9–4 lead, ignited by four consecutive kills and back-to-back Sophia Johnson service aces.
BC managed to get back within three after another Herrington kill, which brought the score to 13–10 California. But the Golden Bears ran away with the lead once again, going on a dominant 7–0 run to make it 24–15.
After dropping the first set 25–16, the Eagles needed to get something going in the second.
A win was becoming more plausible, as BC was within two points of California at the halfway mark of the set. While the scoreboard read 14–12, the Eagles seemed to be on their way to completing a comeback.
Once again, though, those aspirations came crashing down as the Golden Bears put together another 5–0 run, capitalizing on attack errors from Ross and Bella Ehrlich and giving California a 19–12 advantage.
BC put together their own 5–0 run a few plays later. But an Eagles win never came to fruition, as California closed out the second set 25–21.
The first point in a set can be a deciding factor in who has the momentum. A Sofija Marjanovic kill and a Golden Bear attack error set the stage for BC to grab that momentum in the third set.
The last time that the Golden Bears did not have an advantage in the final frame was when the game was tied 8–8. From that point on, the Eagles were clawing at California’s heels, with little success.
The third set was no different from the first two, as the Golden Bears ran away with the game, winning 25–15 to complete the shutout win.
