Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 EL CAJON, Calif.—The new-look Cal State San Marcos women's volleyball team showed no signs of nerves or rust in the team's first day of play Tuesday, sweeping host San Diego Christian and Trinity Christian (Ill.) in straight sets. The Cougars, featuring 12 new players, blended together seamlessly to defeat San Diego Christian 25-15, 25-14, 25-22 and Trinity Christian 25-16, 25-22, 25-15.

In the first game against the San Diego Christian, the Cougars took the season's first point by using their bread and butter combination of Alyssa Foster setting up Taylor DeGraaf for the kill, taking a 1-0 lead. Foster was the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Setter of the Year in 2012, while DeGraaf was the Conference Player of the Year. The duo were also both named NAIA All-American honorable mentions.

After the Hawks evened the score at one, CSUSM rallied off four straight points and never looked back to take the set easily. The second set was more of the same, with the Cougars spreading the ball well offensively and keeping the Hawks off guard.

Despite jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead in the third set after a kill, an assist, and two service aces by Foster, the Hawks clawed their way back to take a 19-15 lead in the final set. The Cougars never batted an eye, stepping up in the clutch to take 10 of the final 13 points to close out the set and match.

DeGraaf led the team with 12 kills in the game to go along with nine digs, while Brooke Butler added seven kills and 13 digs. Libero Jordan McFarland was the team leader in digs with 14, and also recorded four of the team's 11 service aces.

In the second match versus the Trolls, the Cougars were never threatened other than being knotted at 21 all in the second set. DeGraaf was dominant offensively, tallying 18 kills and four service aces for a total of 22 points— the second most in school history for a three set match. In all, she hit .341 on the match and recorded seven digs.

Foster recorded a double double with 30 assists and 12 digs, tying her for the most on the team along with libero Elemy Yeme. Butler, a freshman from Ernest Righetti High School in Santa Maria, Calif., contributed nine kills, six digs, and two service aces, looking the part of a strong compliment to DeGraaf at the outside hitter position.

Head coach Andrea Leonard was impressed with the cohesiveness and the depth of her team in the first matches of the year. “We're a young team with a lot of talent and energy, but we're always looking how we can get a little bit better. Depth is one of our strong suits this season, and we feel that every player is going to be valuable going forward. The challenge for us is going to be how well we can fine tune and tighten things up to best use our depth.”

She added, “I was proud of how the team stayed focused on the process of what we need to do between each point. We had four new athletes on the court at all times today, and the team really came together and was able to make the right adjustments against scrappy opponents.”

The Cougars also racked up 23 service aces in the two matches, pleasing Leonard, who emphasizes aggressive serving. CSUSM led the NAIA in service aces in 2012, and averaged 3.83 per set Tuesday.

With the victories, Cal State San Marcos now stands at 2-0 on the season, mirroring their No. 20 national ranking the Cougars received in the preseason NAIA Coaches' Poll earlier in the day. The Cougars will look to regroup quickly, as the team is heading to the Biola/Red Lion Hotel Anaheim Summer Slam for a pair of matches against top NAIA competition both Thursday and Friday.