SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The #25 Calfornia State University San Bernardino women's volleyball team grabbed a pair of wins on Friday at day two of the Yotes Classic Showcase at Kim Cherniss Court at Coussoulis Arena.
The Coyotes opened up the day with a sweep of Vanguard University (25-15, 25-20, 25-20), before taking down Seattle Pacific University 3-1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-18, 26-24) in the night cap. With the wins, the Coyotes improve to 3-0 on the young season.
Game 1 - CSUSB 3, Vanguard 0
CSUSB never trailed in the opening set, but Vanguard stayed within one point at 9-8 before the Coyotes created separation with a 5-0 run. Senior Kacie Pedersen started the stretch with a kill before combining with senior Allison Legates for a block. Legates and junior Kisa Sagiao added kills during the run to give CSUSB a 13-8 advantage.
The Coyotes extended their lead to 21-13 following junior Jaiden Van Horn's second service ace of the set. CSUSB later reached set point on consecutive Vanguard attack errors before Legates closed out the 25-15 win with her third kill.
CSUSB recorded 16 kills and only two attack errors on 29 attempts for a .483 hitting percentage in the first set. Sagiao led the Coyotes with four kills on seven swings, while Legates, senior M'Kera Drake, and junior Sarai Ross each added three. CSUSB also totaled three blocks and sided out on 14 of Vanguard's 16 serves.
The second set featured seven ties before CSUSB broke an 8-8 deadlock with a 5-0 run on Van Horn's serve. Legates and Ross each recorded a kill during the stretch, while Van Horn added back-to-back service aces to put the Coyotes ahead 13-8.
CSUSB extended its lead to seven points at 17-10 following a Pedersen kill and a Vanguard setting error. The Lions cut the deficit to four at 20-16, but the Coyotes scored five of the final nine points, with Drake ending the set on a kill.
Ross led CSUSB with four kills in the second set, while Sagiao added three. The Coyotes hit .343 with 14 kills and two errors while recording three service aces without a service error. CSUSB also sided out on 15 of Vanguard's 20 serves.
Vanguard took its first lead of the match midway through the third set and held a 16-14 advantage before the Coyotes answered with four straight points. A Hartman-Drake block started the run before Legates contributed to two consecutive blocks and Van Horn followed with her fifth service ace of the match to put CSUSB ahead 18-16.
The Lions pulled even at 19-19, but the Coyotes closed the match on a 6-1 run. Pedersen and freshman Analei Bradley recorded a kill and service ace, respectively, before CSUSB forced three Vanguard attack errors over the final four points. Drake ended the match with a solo block.
CSUSB held Vanguard to nine kills and nine errors for a .000 hitting percentage in the final set. The Coyotes totaled seven blocks in the set, led by three each from Legates, Drake and Sagiao. Sagiao recorded four kills, while Pedersen and Ross added three apiece.
Sagiao led all CSUSB players with 11 kills on .348 hitting and added five blocks. Ross finished with 10 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, while Pedersen recorded seven kills and 11 digs. Legates had five kills on .444 hitting and a match-high six blocks, while Drake added five kills on seven attempts and five blocks.
Van Horn recorded 18 assists and a career-high five service aces, while junior McKenna Edwards added 15 assists and two aces. Sophomore libero Saniyah Sobers led all players with 15 digs.
Game 2 - CSUSB 3, Seattle Pacific 1
CSUSB scored the first five points of the match, with Sagiao recording two kills during the opening run. Seattle Pacific cut the deficit to two at 5-3, but the Coyotes answered with four consecutive points, including kills from Pedersen and Sagiao and a service ace from Ross.
The Falcons later pulled within five at 17-12 before CSUSB used another 5-0 run to extend its lead to 22-12. Ross served four straight points during the stretch and recorded her second ace of the set, while Pedersen, Sagiao, and Ross each added a kill. CSUSB went on to take the opening set, 25-18.
Pedersen and Sagiao led the Coyotes with six kills apiece in the first set, combining for 12 kills and two errors on 21 attempts. CSUSB finished the set with 17 kills and a .316 hitting percentage while holding Seattle Pacific to seven kills and a .083 mark.
Seattle Pacific responded in the second set, using a 7-0 run to turn a 4-4 tie into an 11-4 advantage. The Coyotes gradually worked their way back into the set and cut the deficit to one at 21-20 following consecutive kills from Pedersen and Sagiao.
The Falcons scored four of the final five points, however, to even the match with a 25-21 victory. Pedersen recorded eight of CSUSB's 18 kills in the set and hit .467 on 15 attempts. Seattle Pacific hit .368 with 16 kills and only two errors.
CSUSB took control early in the third set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead behind kills from Ross, Pedersen, and Sagiao. Seattle Pacific cut the margin to one at 7-6, but the Coyotes never surrendered the lead.
Leading 18-15, CSUSB scored three consecutive points on a kill from freshman Lilly Hartman, a Seattle Pacific attack error and a Ross-Drake block. The Coyotes later reached set point on a block from Hartman and Legates before a Falcons service error ended the set, 25-18.
The Coyotes posted their best hitting percentage of the match in the third set, recording 14 kills and three errors on 27 attempts for a .407 mark. Hartman, Pedersen, Ross, and Sagiao each contributed three kills, while CSUSB totaled four blocks and held Seattle Pacific to .161 hitting.
The fourth set featured 16 ties and 10 lead changes. CSUSB created the largest separation of the set with a 4-0 run that turned a 16-16 tie into a 20-16 advantage. Hartman started the run with a kill before a Seattle Pacific attack error and a Van Horn service ace.
The Falcons answered with four straight points to tie the set at 20-20 and later fought off a two-point deficit to take a 24-23 lead. Facing set point, Pedersen recorded a kill to pull the Coyotes even. Edwards then set Ross for the go-ahead kill before Hartman closed out the match with her fifth kill of the set, coming on an overpass.
Pedersen led all players with 20 kills on .304 hitting and added 14 digs. Ross and Sagiao recorded 14 kills apiece, with Sagiao hitting .370 and contributing three blocks. Hartman finished with 10 kills and only two errors on 17 attempts for a .471 hitting percentage.
Van Horn recorded 26 assists and a match-high 18 digs, while Edwards added 17 assists. Sobers finished with 16 digs and 11 assists.
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The Coyotes will close out the Yotes Classic Showcase on Saturday when they face Saint Martin's University at 3 p.m. at Kim Cherniss Court at Coussoulis Arena.
