SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The No. 3 CSUSB Yotes picked up two three-set wins over Azusa Pacific and Point Loma on Saturday to close out the Seaside Invitational in San Diego.
In the three-set win against Azusa Pacific the Yotes served eight aces with eight blocks while hitting .250 and holding APU to .095.
Alexis Cardoza had 11 kills and
Melissa Garciglia had a great performance in support with nine kills.
Asia Clarke added seven kills hitting .429 and middle blockers
Jalyn Hayes and
Lydia Morohunfola had eight and seven kills respectively.
Hayes added four blocks as did
Marlee Nunley to go along with 37 assists. On the defensive end
Leilia To'omalatai had 12 digs and Clarke and
Diana Maile each added 10.
"It's great to get a win against a strong regional team this early," head coach
Kim Cherniss said. "Hopefully that's something that helps us later on in the regional rankings. Leilia played great today and was especially tough from the service line.
Melissa Garciglia had a bit of a breakout performance showing some of the attacking strength we know she's capable of. Also,
Jalyn Hayes put together a real complete match, helping us on offense, defense, and from the service line."
In the nightcap the Yotes offense was clicking, hitting .407 with eight aces, seven blocks, and 40 assists. Garciglia kept it rolling with 12 kills hitting .417. Cardoza added 11 kills on a .345 clip. Morohunfola and Clarke each had six kills.
Nunley led with 37 assists and To'omalatai had 17 digs. From the service line, To'omalatai, Clarke, Hayes,and Cardoza each had two aces.
"This was a very encouraging win for us. Point Loma is a great defensive team, so for us to be efficient offensively against them tells us we're headed in the right direction," Cherniss said. "
Marlee Nunley did a great job at running a very balanced offense and
Asia Clarke added a great wrinkle to our offense bringing some big swings from behind the setter in addition to her always stellar serve receive and defense. Overall, it was a great tournament for us. We got some good regional wins and learned a lot about where we need to be better."
The Yotes (3-1) will travel to Denver next week for the Colorado Premier and will open with No. 25 Rockhurst on Friday at 10 am.
