CARSON, Calif. – Cal State San Bernardino's women's volleyball reputation is such that nearly every other CCAA conference team looks to "make" their season if they can upset the Yotes.
And so it was with Cal State Dominguez Hills, having lost 58 matches in a row to CSUSB dating back to October of 1992, making a statement in the first set Saturday night, taking the set 25-21, hitting .410 and feeling pretty good for a team on the upswing in 2023.
The Toros came back to earth in the Torodome, however, as the Yotes responded by taking the second and third sets in convincing fashion 25-17 and 25-11, then finished off the Toros in the fourth set, 25-21.
The 59
th straight win over the Toros improved the Yotes overall series record with the Toros to 61-6.
CSUSB improves to 11-3 on the season, 4-2 in the CCAA. The Toros, who came into the season with an 8-40 record over the past two seasons, slipped to 8-5 overall and 3-3 in the CCAA.
Junior
Ashley Robinson sparkled on both offense and defense, with 14 kills and 14 digs and a solo block and block assist. Junior
Savannah Hoffmann added 13 kills on .297 hitting. Freshman
Trinity Sheridan contributed 10 kills.
Senior setter
Marlee Nunley played an all-around game with six kills on .444 hitting, 40 assists, 13 digs and four block assists. Freshman Kacie Pederson delivered three service aces.
Jenna Patton and
Taryn King each had a solo block and three block assists.
The Yotes hit .248 for the four-set match while holding down the Toros offense in three of the sets including one where Dom Hills hit a meager minus .154., finishing the match at just .114 for four sets. The Toros committed 27 attack errors in the match.
Camille Sanchez-Tellez led the Toros with a match-high 15 kills on .316 hitting. Ava Hurry served a match-high four aces and middle blocker Jesi Dieckmann had a match-high three solo blocks and assisted on two others. Nina Robles totaled 26 digs, a match high and Bailey Fusches had a team high 26 digs.
The Toros jumped all over the Yotes in the first set moving quickly to a 10-1 advantage on Hurry's service ace. However, CSUSB rallied to outscored the Toros 11-2 to knot the set at 12-12 on a Robinson kill. The Yotes took their first lead in the set at 15-14 on a Toros attack error. Sheridan's kill off an assist by Nunley put the Yotes up 17-15.
The hosts then promptly outscored the Yotes 10-4 to take the set, 25-21.
San Bernardino evened the match 25-17 and then the wheels came off for the Toros in the third set. The Yotes posted 13 kills to just five for the Toros who hit a minus .154 in losing 25-11.
The Yotes took a 13-9 lead in the fourth set on a combined block by Sheridan and King. Nunley's kill made it 23-20. After a Yotes attack error by Robinson, Patton made it 24-21 with a kill off an assist by Nunley. Nunley then delivered the match-winning kill off an assist by Robinson.
UP NEXT: The Yotes, unbeaten at home this season, return to campus on Thursday night at 7 p.m. to face Cal State San Marcos. The Cougars come into the match with a 6-8 record (4-2 in the CCAA). On Saturday at 5 p.m., the visitor is long-time rival Cal Poly Pomona, off to a 13-1 start to the season and 6-0 in the CCAA. Watch the matches live on the CCAA streaming network.
