Box Score Say what you will about sports, but they have a way of producing moments.
Moments of athletic excellence, sure, but also moments of bonding, moments of unbridled excitement, and moments of campus pride.
On Tuesday night, the Cal State San Marcos volleyball team, staff, and hundreds of students and local fans in attendance combined to create just such a moment.
Playing at Escondido High School, the CSUSM volleyball team made its home debut to a gym that was filled both literally with people and figuratively with chants, songs, and nonstop raucous cheering. It was, quite simply, magic.
Of course, the atmosphere can only carry for so long. Eventually, the team the chants, songs, and cheers are directed at has to perform up to a level to warrant such support.
Luckily for all the Cougar fans, Coach Andrea Leonard's squad did just that and more. Just hours after learning they were ranked #17 in Tuesday's NAIA National Poll, the team lived up to that ranking with a convincing 3-0 win over San Diego Christian, 25-13, 25-20, 25-15.
CSUSM improves to 14-5 in its inaugural season. SDCC drops to 5-9.
Fans got to see for the first time what has made the Cougars so successful already in their first season of competition. Whether it's the expert setting and general quarterbacking of Alyssa Foster, the brilliant defense of Nichole May, the stout attack from Taylor DeGraaf and Kara Barkdoll, or the numerous other players who made huge contributions on Tuesday and have throughout the season, CSUSM volleyball is “for real,” as they say, and a legitimate national contender.
After CSUSM took the first set easily, San Diego Christian took a 12-9 lead in the second set after winning 8 consecutive points. But with the game at 16-16, the Cougars would pull away to take it 25-20.
Other highlights included an impressive run of three consecutive aces by DeGraaf late in the third set, which effectively sealed the match.
Overall, it was an unforgettable night both in the short history of CSUSM Volleyball and CSUSM Athletics as a whole. Thank you to the fans who showed up to make it possible.
Volleyball's next home game will be against #7-ranked Concordia on Thursday, October 6th at 7:00 PM.
