BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (Sept. 2, 2016) — An inauspicious start gave way to a resounding victory later Friday as the 20^th-ranked Coyotes opened the 2016 season at the Ferris State Invitational.
 
The Coyotes were defeated 3-0 by No. 10 Minnesota-Duluth, and then came back with a resounding victory over the host and No. 8 Bulldogs, 3-0.
 
CSUSB (1-1 overall) completes the weekend tournament by taking on Minnesota-Crookston at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, before finishing up against Grand Valley State later that day.
 
No. 10 UMD 3, No. 20 Coyotes 0
UMD, one of the big cogs in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, took control early in handing the Coyotes a 25-21, 25-17, 25-23 defeat.
 
An 8-0 run early in the opener put the Bulldogs in control and they never trailed in the second for a 2-0 lead.
 
In the third, seven ties and two lead changes set the tone as CSUSB led late, 22-18.
 
A Coyote attack error, and three straight kills from UMD's Makenzie Morgan tied the set at 22-all.
 
Junior OH Lauren Nicholson stopped the streak with a kill and put CSUSB up 23-22, but UMD earned three straight points to close out the set and match.
 
Nicholson led with 17 kills for CSUSB, which hit just .154 (35 kills, 17 errors, 117 attacks). No other Coyote had more than four kills. Senior All-American Malika O'Brien led with two solo blocks, while senior libero Abbey Vollkommer had 21 digs. Sophomore setter Jayann DeHoog had 29 assists.
 
UMD's Morgan had 12 kills and 14 digs.
 
Coyotes 3, No. 8 Ferris State 0
CSUSB was much more efficient in the nightcap, hitting .258 with just 14 errors and utilized a .486 attack percentage in the second set.
 
Nicholson led again in kills with 14 and O'Brien followed with 11. Four Coyotes had double digits in digs with Vollkommer (18), DeHoog (12), Hannah Barrett (11), and Nicholson (10). Kelsey Osgood had nine.
 
Freshman Kaili Scott had five block assists and sophomore Hailey Jackson pounded four.
 
O'Brien and Nicholson each had four kills in the opener and Vollkommer popped seven digs. The set had 11 ties and five lead changes, and the Coyotes got the edge with kills from O'Brien and Nicholson that put CSUSB ahead 23-21. An ace from O'Brien and after a Ferris kill, Nicholson finished off the foe with a kill
 
The Coyotes never trailed in the second, thanks to five kills from O'Brien and four from Nicholson.
 
CSUSB and Ferris had 11 ties and four lead changes in the third. After Nicholson tied the set for the final time with a kill that made the score 24-24, Ferris had an attack error, and a solo block from freshman Moira Murphy made the Coyotes victorious.