MERCED, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos volleyball team tallied another perfect day at the UC Merced Holiday Inn Express Invitational, coming out on top of a five set thriller against Southern Oregon (25-13, 25-20, 22-25, 25-27, 15-13) before sweeping William Jessup (25-19, 25-13, 25-9) in the afternoon.
"The team once again came together to achieve our goal," said head coach
Andrea Leonard. "We had several younger players on the court at the same time and their composure was evident in their play.
"Every single person contributed which again reinforces the value of our depth."
Match 1: CSUSM 3, SOU 2The Cougars came out with a vengeance in the first set, taking a 25-13 victory behind a .435 hitting percentage behind 12 kills on 23 attempts and only two errors. CSUSM capped the second set at 25-20 on an ace by senior setter
Alyssa Foster.
The third set consisted of nine ties with Southern Oregon coming out on top at 25-22. The Raiders halted two CSUSM match points before taking the fourth set at 27-25 and forcing a fifth set.
In the fifth and final set, neither team took more than a two-point lead. A double block by Foster and
Erin Talafus gave CSUSM match point at 14-12. Team kill leader
Jordan Banich put the ball away to capture the win.
Match 2: CSUSM 3, SDCC 0Freshman
Cheyenne Richards led the Cougar offense with 12 kills while accumulating seven digs. Sophomore
Brooke Butler tallied a team season-best five aces in addition to her nine-kill, 14-dig performance.
CSUSM led the entire match and finished with a .299 team hitting percentage, second highest of the season.
CSUSM closes out the invitational at 11 a.m. on Sunday against host UC Merced.
