SEASIDE, Calif. – CCAA conference leader Cal State San Bernardino left the Otter Sports Center with a 3-0 sweep of host Cal State Monterey Bay, but they had to work hard for the win.
The Otters, looking to make their season with a win over the No. 7-ranked team in NCAA Division II, pushed the Yotes in the final two sets forcing the visitors to eke out a 26-24 win in the second set and end the match with a 25-23 escape in the third set.
CSUSB took the first set 25-15 in route to their 11
th straight conference win.
With the win on their final road trip of the regular season, the Yotes improved to 21-3 overall and 14-2 in the conference. The Otters fought hard but slipped to 8-15 overall and 5-11 in the CCAA.
Meanwhile, CCAA runner-up Cal State L.A. stayed a game back of the Yotes in the CCAA standings with a 3-1 victory over Cal Poly Pomona. The Golden Eagles are now 13-3 in the CCAA. The Broncos dropped into a third-place tie with Sonoma State at 11-5.
Freshman outside hitter
Trinity Sheridan was dominant in the Yotes victory with 19 kills, hitting .410 on 39 swings, adding a block assist and three digs. OH
Ashley Robinson posted nine kills, a solo block and a block assist and four digs.
Middle blocker
Jenna Patton chipped in six kills on .364 hitting with three block assists. Setter
Marlee Nunley repeated her effort from Friday night with 38 assists to go with two kills, a service ace two block assists and eight digs.
OH Savannah Hoffman had a solo block and a block assist to go with four kills of her own.
Shira Lahav had a match-high 21 digs, five assists and two service aces.
As a team the Yotes hit .270, just below their season average of .289 while holding the Otters to .170 hitting. CSUSB had 44 kills in the match to 35 for CSUMB. The Yotes totaled 51 digs to 47 for the Otters.
Leading 16-10 in the first set, the Yotes outscored the Otters 9-5 to take a 1-0 lead as Sheridan recorded her third kill of the set at 25-15.
Monterey Bay scored the first four points of the second set and led 12-5 on a kill by Kaylie Honberger and made it 13-6 Otters on another kill by Honberger. The Yotes rallied to get within a point at 16-15 on a kill by Patton and then tied the set at 20-20 on an Otters attack error. Nunley's kill put the Yotes in front for the first time at 21-20.
Two kills by Sheridan and an ace from Lahav put CSUSB up 24-21 but the Otters responded to tie the set at 24—24 on a kill by Kea Veenendaal. Robinson responded for the Yotes with a kill off an assist from Lahav and Yotes took the set at 26-24 on a service ace by reserve
Jayden Chornomud, her second of the match.
In the third set, the Yotes went up 18-11 on a kill by Robinson and led again by seven points at 21-14 on a kill by Hoffman. The Otters ran off five straight points to get close at 21-19. Leading 23-19, a kill by Savanna Maker and back-to-back service aces by Honberger closed the gap to 23-22.
Sheridan responded with a kill off an assist by Nunley. Maker made it 24-23 with an Otters kill but Sheridan closed out the match with a kill, assisted by Nunley. CSUSB now leads the all-time series between the two teams 34-1.
UP NEXT: The Yotes return home to close out the CCAA regular season at 7 p.m. on Thursday against Cal Poly Humboldt, 6-16 overall and 3-13 CCAA followed by the regular season and home finale against Sonoma State, 16-7, 11-5 CCAA, at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Sonoma owns two wins over CSUSB this season – one in a tournament and the other in the CCAA conference opener. Both losses were at SSU.
TUNE IN – If you can't attend the matches in Coussoulis Arena in person, then watch the live streaming coverage on the CCAA Network or follow the stats at csusbathletics.com
