SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Occidental Women's Volleyball traveled to UC Santa Cruz over the weekend to compete in the annual Slug Slam. The Tigers earned their first victory of the season over Lewis & Clark.

Match One - Redlands (L, 3-0)

In the first match of the tournament, the University of Redlands swept Occidental College 25-21, 25-12, 25-20. The Bulldogs capitalized on a strong offensive performance with a hitting percentage of .229 compared to Occidental's .096. Redlands' serving proved pivotal with eight aces to Occidental's five, contributing to their victory in the neutral-site matchup.

The opening set saw a competitive start, with the Tigers maintaining an early lead at 5-3 after two consecutive kills by Jasmine Shum assisted by Lila Payne. Redlands then responded with a scoring run, capitalizing on a service ace from Hannah Hjanal to take a 7-5 advantage. Occidental fought back with key contributions from Sloane Shoop, who recorded multiple kills, and Meara Hayes, whose setting facilitated a strong response, closing the gap to 21-19. Ultimately, Redlands edged out the set 25-21, despite a late push from the Tigers.

Occidental opened the second set with a strong start, quickly securing a 2-0 lead with Payne's service ace and a kill by Eliana Channell. However, Redlands responded with a 10-point run, led by Lily Kautai and Makenna Vanhofwegen, gaining a 10-3 advantage. Despite Katelyn Cajigas and Shum contributing key kills later in the set, Redlands maintained their momentum, ultimately winning the set 25-12.

Occidental opened the third set with an immediate response from Shoop, who delivered a kill to tie the score at 1-1. Despite an early service error, the Tigers rallied with notable efforts from Shum, who secured multiple points with two kills and two service aces, reducing the deficit to 17-13. Later in the set, Shum continued to be a key player, delivering consecutive kills with assists from Kendall Taylor, but the set concluded with Redlands taking the set 25-20.

**Occidental Top Performers**  

**Sloane Shoop**  
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- four service aces  
- 13 digs  
- seven kills on 29 attempts  

**Jasmine Shum**  
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- 12 kills on 37 attempts  
- five digs  

**Elizabeth Sonza**  
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- 12 digs  
- 1.000 hitting percentage (1k, 0e, 1ta)  

**Lila Payne**  
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- 14 assists  
- six digs  

Match Two - Lewis & Clark (W, 3-0)

In their second match of the tournament, the Occidental College Tigers swept Lewis & Clark in straight sets (25-20, 25-18, 25-20). The Tigers recorded 11 service aces to the Pioneers' four, contributing significantly to their victory. The match lasted just three sets, marking a swift win for the Tigers.

Occidental started the first set by quickly overcoming an early 1-0 deficit with a 4-1 run, highlighted by kills from Jasmine Shum and Corinne Van Haeren. Lila Payne played a crucial role in setting up her teammates, recording multiple assists during the set, including a key one at 6-5 to Sloane Shoop. The team showed resilience, regaining the lead at 12-11 with a service ace from Eliana Channell, and maintained their momentum with another streak, ending the set on a 6-2 run, capped by Jasmine Shum's decisive kill at 25-20.

The second set began with Payne's impressive back-to-back service aces, propelling the Tigers to an early 2-0 lead. Shum made a strong impact, delivering four consecutive points, including three kills, to help extend the lead to 13-7. The set's momentum shifted notably when Payne served two more aces in a row, bringing the score to 18-10 and highlighting her significant contribution. Despite a brief pushback from the opposition, the Tigers maintained control and secured the set with a decisive kill from Katelyn Cajigas, concluding the set 25-18 in their favor.

Occidental started the third set with some initial setbacks, as the Pioneers' Ruby Kuerschner opened with consecutive service aces. However, the Tigers responded effectively with Anna Curtis-Revelle's kill at 2-3 and Channell's kill to level the score at 4-4. Kendall Taylor's service ace at 16-13 marked the beginning of a crucial 4-0 run that extended the Tigers' lead, eventually concluding the set with a 25-20 victory. Shum's consistent performance, featuring multiple kills, was pivotal in securing the Tigers' momentum throughout the set.

**Occidental Top Performers**  

**Sloane Shoop**  
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- 11 kills (3 errors, 35 attempts) with a .229 hitting percentage  
- 14 digs  
- one service ace  

**Jasmine Shum**  
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- 11 kills (2 errors, 29 attempts) with a .31 hitting percentage  
- one assist  
- 11 points  

**Lila Payne**  
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- 15 assists  
- team-high five service aces  
- six digs  

**Eyleen Sanchez**  
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- 16 digs  
- two assists  
- one service ace  

Match Three - UC Santa Cruz (L, 3-1)

To close off the tournament, UC Santa Cruz defeated Occidental College in four sets, 27-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-22. The Banana Slugs secured the win with strong defensive plays, totaling 74 digs and 14 blocks. Occidental tallied 11 service aces, but it was not enough to overcome the Slugs' balanced attack.

The first set began with a back-and-forth exchange, but the Tigers quickly took control with a 4-1 run led by Elizabeth Hermosillo's service ace and kills from Anna Curtis-Revelle and Eyleen Sanchez. Despite a few service errors, the Tigers managed to maintain momentum, highlighted by multiple kills from Sloane Shoop and Jasmine Shum. As the set tightened, Shum continued to shine, contributing significantly to a late comeback effort that tied the score at 24-all. However, despite strong blocking from Shum and Curtis-Revelle, the set concluded with the Tigers narrowly falling 27-25.

The second set began with an exchange of service errors, but UC Santa Cruz quickly gained momentum with Drew Bryant and Olly Gordon contributing kills to put them ahead 4-3. Despite trailing briefly, the Banana Slugs capitalized on several attack errors by the Tigers and regained control with a service ace, increasing their lead to 10-7. The Tigers fought back with Shum recording multiple kills, closing the gap to 19-19 after a steady comeback. However, UC Santa Cruz's Mia Ngo and Heidi Collins led a late surge, securing the set 25-22 with effective blocking and timely kills.

The third set began with a strong showing from the Tigers, as Curtis-Revelle secured the first point with a kill assisted by Kendall Taylor. Shum and Shoop were pivotal in extending the lead, each contributing multiple kills, with Taylor providing key assists. The Tigers managed to establish a significant lead by reaching 24-14, though UC Santa Cruz mounted a late comeback with a series of kills by Collins, narrowing the gap to 24-21. Ultimately, the Tigers sealed the set victory at 25-21, capitalizing on an attack error by Gabia Paliulis.

The fourth set opened with a service ace from Taylor, setting an assertive tone for the visitors. The Tigers showcased a balanced offense, with Corinne Van Haeren and Shum each recording kills, while Shoop delivered back-to-back service aces to narrow the score to 17-16. Despite a resilient effort that kept the score close, including a late kill from Shoop that brought the score to 24-22, UC Santa Cruz ultimately secured the set with a final score of 25-22, aided by key plays from Gordon and Charlotte Skulte.

**Occidental Top Performers**  

**Sloane Shoop**  
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- 13 kills (10 errors, 36 attempts, .083 hitting percentage)  
- team-high 15 digs  
- three service aces  
- 16.5 points total  

**Jasmine Shum**  
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- team-high 20 kills (5 errors, 50 attempts, .3 hitting percentage)  
- four total blocks (one solo)  
- 22.5 points total  

**Eyleen Sanchez**  
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- team-high 17 digs  
- seven assists  
- one service ace  

**Kendall Taylor**  
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- 15 assists  
- two service aces  
- two kills (0 errors, 5 attempts, .4 hitting percentage)  

**Eliana Channell**  
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- three total blocks (one solo)  
- one service ace  
- two digs  

On the weekend, the Tigers went 1-2. They travel back home to face West Coast Baptist on Thursday, September 4.