With hard work, determination, and a little luck, the 2006 Bulldog women’s volleyball team made history and enjoyed a magical ride this season.  The team earned the most wins in Redlands volleyball history with 22, while landing a spot at the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1993.  The Bulldogs also captured the program’s first and second post-season victories en route to making it to the Sweet 16.  The team’s historical season finished with an impressive 22-7 mark to go along with a national ranking of 18th. 

Redlands opened the 2006 season with a solid showing at the Pacific Coast Classic, which included a 3-0 sweep over then-ranked Whitworth College (WA).  Freshman right-side hitter Jaclyn Beeton (Sierra Madre, CA) began her impressive rookie campaign with a spot on the All-Tournament Team.  The Bulldogs then traveled to Swarthmore, PA, and dominated the competition from the East Coast by winning all four matches.  Senior setter Jessica Walker (Redlands, CA) was named the Tournament MVP while senior libero Rachae’ Bell (Davenport, WA) earned All-Tournament honors.  By September 23, the Bulldogs had rattled off 10 wins in their first 11 matches.

The women’s volleyball team seemed unstoppable until a mid-season slump against conference opponents put a slight damper on the season.  Sitting at 3-5 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), the Bulldogs had to decide what to make of the rest of their season.  With nine matches remaining, Redlands went after the improbable by striving for perfection in the final weeks of competition.  The Bulldogs proceeded to equalize earlier losses to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges with 3-1 victories on the road.  Against CMS, Beeton stepped up her attack to lead the team with 21 kills on 55 attempts for a hitting percentage of .309.  In the four-game victory over Pomona-Pitzer, Bell broke the then-Division III record for digs with an astounding 55.  Redlands also defeated Division III rival Chapman University for the second time in 2006 to remain on track of their challenging goal.

With these wins came momentum and confidence as the Bulldogs welcomed perennial power Colorado College to Currier Gym.  Redlands dismantled the Tigers in three quick games due to stellar play from the team as a whole.  Freshman right-side hitter Jordann Tanner (Vista, CA) led the offense with 15 kills.  Next, the Bulldogs hosted #3-ranked University of La Verne for “Senior and Pack the House Night”.  After taking the Leopards to five games in their first meeting, Redlands held the best opportunity to halt their undefeated run through the conference.  Among 600 crazed fans, the Bulldogs handed the Leopards their first in-region loss of the year in three-straight games.  Junior outside hitter Lori Nakamura (Honolulu, HI) and Beeton each boasted 12 kills to lead the match while sophomore setter Ashley Williams (Sunland, CA) dished out 37 assists.  As the team celebrated the program’s first win over La Verne since 1995, it hoped for the chance to continue the season with a spot at the NCAA Championship.  With this exciting victory, Redlands also moved into a tie for third place in the conference standings, boasting a SCIAC record of 9-5.

Riding the wave of nine-straight victories, Redlands joined La Verne, conference foe Cal Lutheran University, and four other teams at the NCAA West Regional.  Making their first appearance since 1993, the #6-seeded Bulldogs quickly proved that they deserved to be there by defeating their first-round opponent from Pacific Lutheran University.  Senior Shelley Langford (Newport Beach, CA) put up eight total blocks, including one solo, in the back-and-forth five-game match.  With this victory, Redlands captured the program’s first-ever postseason win in only its second NCAA appearance. 

But the Bulldogs weren’t done yet.  The volleyball team faced off against the #2-seeded Wildcats of Linfield College (OR) in the regional semifinal.  In front of yet another boisterous crowd, Redlands controlled the match from the get-go, sweeping the Wildcats to advance onto the final.  Beeton again paced the offense, hitting .293 with 18 kills, while Nakamura and Langford supplied 15 and 12 kills, respectively.

The Bulldogs then faced familiar foe Cal Lutheran University in the regional final.  Despite playing their hearts out, the volleyball team came up short in the four-game loss.  With everything to be proud of, the Bulldogs walked away from that experience knowing that they deserved to be there while helping to define the depth of the conference with an all-SCIAC regional final.

To go along with all of the team’s accomplishments, the Bulldogs also boasted a variety of individual accolades during the amazing run.  Bell earned her second AVCA All-American honor with a Third Team nod, following back-to-back spots on the All-West Region Team.  Among her numerous matches with 30 or more digs, she reestablished her own single-season dig record with 888 and surpassed the 2,000 mark for career digs with 2,116.  In addition, Bell and Beeton landed spots on the All-SCIAC First Team.  Beeton led the Bulldogs with 297 kills, while tallying 37 aces, 20 blocks, and 110 digs.  Senior middle blocker Lizzy Ford (Ballard, WA) annihilated the single-season school record for aces with 77, blowing past the previous record of 47.  Langford also left her mark, by breaking the Bulldogs’ career records for aces with 102 and for kills with 902.

Although the team must fill the void left by the seniors, the Bulldogs return 11 talented student-athletes who gained tremendous experience during this season’s historical run.  Having been to the NCAA Championship will serve as motivation for the program’s future.  Under Head Coach Mari Burningham’s leadership, Redlands women’s volleyball begins a new era as a team that has been to the playoffs and one that strives to return.