Box Score ESCONDIDO, Calif.—The Cal State San Marcos volleyball team defeated UC Merced in straight sets Friday night at home, carrying over the momentum from their huge win over previously undefeated Westmont earlier in the week. The Cougars defeated the Bobcats with relative ease 25-14, 25-12, 25-11.  

"We're excited about the momentum we're building heading into the latter half of the season," said head coach Andrea Leonard. "The team is focused and really determined to continue making strides in their positions and assignments to make the team stronger. We have played a tough schedule, and it is really paying off now."

The Cougars were firing on all cylinders Friday night, particularly on offense as they hit .420 on the match— the second best mark in school history. In all, CSUSM tallied 42 kills and just eight errors in 81 attempts. Taylor DeGraaf led all scorers with 14 kills (.591 hitting percentage) and added six digs for the Cougars, while Erin Talafus (8-0-12) hit .667 and had three block assists at the net.

Alyssa Foster was precise in her sets and kept the Bobcats blockers off guard all night, recording 35 assists. To top it off, the junior from Portland, Oregon nailed five service aces and added seven digs and two kills.

Defensively, libero Kelli McLin was flawless, piling up 17 digs while maintaining her cool and making tough digs look effortless.

While the final score was not close in any of the three sets, it was tight early as both teams were tied at 8-8 in the first frame until CSUSM went on a 9-0 run with Foster serving, aided by two of her aces. The Cougars, who currently rank second in the NAIA in service aces, picked up a total of 10 in the match.

Foster picked up her other three aces at the start of the second set, getting the Cougars out to an early 6-0 lead and never looking back. CSUSM never trailed at any point during the match.

The Cougars are now 2-0 on their five game homestand after defeating No. 9 Westmont earlier in the week, and are 3-1 at home this season with their only loss coming to No. 1 ranked Concordia. CSUSM improved to 16-7 with the win, while UC Merced dropped to 6-4.

CSUSM will have little time to enjoy their win, as the Cougars will be back out on the court tomorrow at 1:00pm to face William Jessup. The Cougars have defeated the Warriors twice already this season, and will be looking for the season sweep Saturday.