SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos volleyball is off to its best start in school history after going 5-0 in the Cougar Classic this weekend. CSUSM tallied two victories on Saturday in The Sports Center, a sweep over Azusa Pacific before finishing the night with a four-set victory over Eastern New Mexico.


CSUSM 3 – Azusa Pacific 0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-17)
TOP PERFORMER
Micah Hébert – 12 kills | .458 clip | 2 blocks
Olivia Aguilar – 11 kills | 2 aces
Madison Turner – 19 assists | 10 digs
Aleese Wheaton – 4 aces
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• A seven-point run behind Wheaton's serves gave the CSUSM a 17-12 cushion which proved to be vital as APU fought back, but CSUSM prevailed for a 25-22 opening-set win.
• Once again, an early lead contributed to CSUSM's success in fighting off APU and giving the home squad a 2-0 lead in the match.
• CSUSM took care of business in the third set, taking a quick 12-5 lead and cruising to a 25-17 finish.

 

Head Coach Andrea Leonard talks about what is special about this team after starting off 4-0 for the first time in program history. #BleedBlue #goCCAA #NCAAd2 pic.twitter.com/cVyFBMAmt8

— CSUSM Volleyball (@CSUSMVolleyball) September 7, 2019

Senior Maddy Newcombe chats about how the team's pregame goals come to life on the court to contribute to CSUSM's success!#BleedBlue #goCCAA #NCCAd2 pic.twitter.com/8jSm83B2bY

— CSUSM Volleyball (@CSUSMVolleyball) September 7, 2019

CSUSM 3 – Eastern New Mexico 1 (25-14, 25-21, 19-25, 25-20)
TOP PERFORMERS
Maddy Newcombe – 9 kills | .615 clip | 4 blocks
Micah Hébert – 9 kills
Kassy Doering – 7 blocks | 5 kills
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Cougars put together a .324 attack percentage, tallying 13 kills on 34 attempts and committing just two errors in the opening set to win 25-14.
• CSUSM broke a 19-all tie with a 6-2 run to take a 2-0 advantage in the match, turning in a 25-21 victory.
• After the Greyhounds jumped out to a 12-6 lead in the third set, the Cougars put together a rally that fell just short as ENMU took the set at 25-19.
• The Cougars got back into system in the fourth set, matching their second set performance with an early cushion and snagging a 25-20 victory to secure the match win.  

 
QUICK HITS

• The Cougars improve to 5-0 on the season – their best start in program history.
• CSUSM reached another milestone when the AVCA Division II Preseason Poll was released as the Cougars were listed as receiving votes for the first time since moving to the NCAA three years ago.
• The Cougars held their opponents to a .120 attack percentage while tallying 40 blocks in the five matches.  

Seniors Aleese, Ellie, Olive and Maddy talk about how much fun the team is having after finishing the Cougar Classic 5-0! #BleedBlue #GoCCAA #NCAAD2 pic.twitter.com/73c3kBxw0H

— CSUSM Volleyball (@CSUSMVolleyball) September 8, 2019

UP NEXT
CSUSM travels to San Bernardino next weekend to compete in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase.
 
All-Tournament Team
Azusa Pacific – Juliana Miller, Annaka Jorgenson, Bailey Henington
Bentley – Dani Milner, Ingrid Murphy
CSUSM – Maddy Newcombe (MVP), Olivia Aguilar, Grecia Cordero-Barr, Emily Vander Weide, Aleese Wheaton
ENMU – Jasmine Gannon
Saint Martin's – Kylie Alos
WNMU – Sarah Campoli, Erin Moss