SEASIDE, Calif. – Led by Sofia Hedqvist's career-high 23 kills, the Cal State San Marcos volleyball team (4-6, 2-0 CCAA) collected a four-set CCAA victory at Cal State Monterey Bay (3-6, 0-2 CCAA) on Saturday afternoon at the Otter Sports Center.
 
CSUSM 3 – CSUMB 1 (25-16, 26-24, 30-32, 25-23)
 
TOP PERFORMERS
Sofia Hedqvist – 23 kills | 3 digs | 2 blocks | 1 ace
Trinity Barr – 14 kills | 2 blocks
Mackenzie Jennings – 12 kills | .500 clip | 6 blocks
Isabelle Bakken – 8 kills |  6 blocks | 3 digs
Tori Goff – 51 assists | 13 digs | 4 blocks

HOW IT HAPPENED

• A 6-0 run by CSUSM that included two kills by Hedqvist, a kill by Barr and two blocks by the duo of Bakken and Jennings made it 19-9. The Cougars closed it out with Hedqvist's sixth kill of the set to win set one at 25-16.
• CSUSM waved off two set points, tied it at 24-all on a block by Barr and Alyssa Gurrola, took a 25-24 lead on a Jennings kill and claimed the second set with a block by Jennings and Gurrola at 26-24.
• With 18 tie scores and 10 lead changes in the third set, the Cougars had match point five times before the Otters prolonged the match with a 32-30 win on their third set point.
• In the fourth set, CSUSM went up 13-8 on a Goff ace, but CSUMB rallied back to even the set at 13-all. The Cougars turned it on again with four unanswered points to make it 18-14 and never trailed the remainder of the set to claim a 25-23 set victory and the match win.
   

QUICK HITS

• The Cougars are now 6-3 in the all-time series against the Otters and are 2-3 in the Otter Sports Center.
• This is CSUSM's second-best start in conference action in program history with a 2-0 record. The Cougars opened CCAA play at 3-0 in 2018 with wins over UC San Diego, Cal State East Bay and San Francisco State in The Sports Center.
• Hedqvist's 23 kills were a career best, bypassing her previous record of 19 kills collected on two occasions – vs. CUI (Aug. 26, 2022) and vs. CSUMB (Oct. 13, 2022).
• Goff registered her sixth double-double of the season with 51 assists and 13 digs.
• Jennings' six block assists and .500 clip were a career high.
• CSUMB's three middles – Kea Veenendall, Mikayla Nolte and Malia Thorne – combined for a .421 attack percentage with 11 blocks. 

UP NEXT
CSUSM will return to The Sports Center for its CCAA home opener against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday, Sept. 22 at 5 p.m.