SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The reigning CCAA Tournament Champions kicked off their 2026 season with a 3-0 win over Westmont College Thursday evening at the Yotes Classic Showcase at
Kim Cherniss Court at Coussoulis Arena. Set scores were 25-23, 25-19, and 25-22.
With the victory, the Coyotes open their season at 1-0.
After the teams split the first four points of the match, junior Jaiden Van Horn served a 5-0 run that put CSUSB ahead 7-2. The stretch included her service ace, a kill by Sarai Ross and a block from Allison Legates and Kisa Sagiao. The Coyotes later led 15-8 before Westmont cut the margin to one at 24-23, but Sagiao ended the set with her fourth kill.
CSUSB hit .333 in the opening set with 14 kills and three errors. Sagiao led the Coyotes with four kills on six attempts, while Pedersen and Ross added three kills apiece. The Coyotes also totaled three blocks and sided out on 16 of Westmont's 23 serves.
In set two, Westmont scored the first three points and led as late as 9-8, but CSUSB moved in front for good with a 4-0 run that made it 12-9. The Warriors pulled even twice, at 16-16 and 17-17, before the Coyotes closed the set on an 8-2 run. Libero Saniyah Sobers served four straight points during that closing stretch, which included two Westmont attack errors and Kacie Pedersen's sixth kill of the set.
Pedersen accounted for six of CSUSB's 14 kills in the second set and hit .625 on eight attempts. M'Kera Drake added three kills on three swings as the Coyotes again hit .333. CSUSB limited Westmont to a .250 hitting percentage and forced five attack errors.
The Coyotes erased their largest deficit of the match to complete the sweep. Westmont opened a 10-2 lead, but CSUSB answered with a 9-2 run to get within 12-11. Ross had three kills during the rally, while freshman Lilly Hartman added two.
CSUSB took its first lead of the set at 14-13 and later broke an 18-18 tie on a Pedersen kill. Westmont drew even twice more, but Ross put the Coyotes ahead 22-21 before consecutive blocks made it 24-21. Pedersen closed the match with her fifth kill of the set.
The Coyotes posted their best hitting percentage of the night in the final set, recording 15 kills and three errors on 31 attempts for a .387 mark. Ross had four kills on eight swings, and CSUSB totaled three blocks while holding Westmont to .242 hitting.
CSUSB finished with 43 kills and only 10 attack errors on 94 swings for a .351 hitting percentage. The Coyotes hit at least .333 in all three sets and held Westmont to .221 for the match. CSUSB also held a 6-4 advantage in total blocks.
Pedersen led all players with 14 kills on .423 hitting and added a match-high 12 digs, two solo blocks and a service ace. Sagiao and Ross each recorded seven kills, with Sagiao hitting .312 and contributing three total blocks. Junior McKenna Edwards had 15 assists and hit .750 with three kills, while Van Horn finished with a team-high 19 assists. Sobers added eight digs.
The Yotes will continue play at the Yotes Classic Showcase on Friday with a pair of contests. They'll start their twinbill with a 2:30 first serve against Vanguard, before battling Seattle Pacific at 7 p.m.
