SAN BERNARDINO (Sept. 22, 2017) — No. 22 CSUSB made its 2017 home debut an exhilarating success, winning 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-20) before a Coussoulis Arena crowd of 650 on Friday night.
 
Who stood out?
Senior OH Lauren Nicholson set the tone for a successful night, hitting .577 on the strength of 16 kills, one error in 26 attacks. Fellow OH Moira Murphy hit .276 with 11 kills … Nicholson and MB Hailey Jackson each had five block assists.
 
All-round play
CSUSB hit .333 on the night with 45 kills. Freshman S Diana Maile had 20 assists and junior S Jayann DeHoog made her season debut with 12 assists.
 
Digging on the court
Freshman L Leilia To'omalatai led CSUSB with 11 digs and fellow freshman Alexis Cardoza had 10. Nicholson just missed out on a double-double with eight digs.
 
Momentum swing
CSUSB led 24-22 in the first set before the Pioneers answered back with a kill and a CSUSB attack error. But Nicholson and Murphy each pieced together a kill and the Coyotes had their 1-0 lead.
 
Nothing second rate about Game 2
CSUSB never trailed in the second set and hit .379 with only three attack errors.
 
Record time
CSUSB is 6-5 overall and 2-1 in the CCAA, while CSUEB dropped to 8-3, 2-1. CSUSB  completes the weekend Saturday night at home against Cal State Monterey Bay.
 
Coach says
"Tonight was a great win for us,'' head coach Kim Cherniss said. "So great to back in the friendly confines of Coussoulis with a great home crowd. The girls are so appreciative of their fellow student-athletes coming out to support them. Lauren was fantastic tonight and it was certainly great to see Jayann back out on the floor. Moira Murphy continues to improve and shows great athleticism and results while attacking.''