SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - In a rematch of last season's CCAA Championship match, #14 Cal State San Bernardino women's volleyball opened CCAA play with a 3-1 victory over San Francisco State Friday evening at Kim Cherniss Court at Coussoulis Arena. Set scores were 18-25, 25-21, 25-21, and 25-14.
With the victory, the Coyotes improved to 8-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
The teams were tied at 10-10 in the opening set before San Francisco State scored three straight points to take the lead. CSUSB pulled within three at 19-16 on a kill by freshman Lilly Hartman, but the Gators closed the set on a 6-2 run.
San Francisco State recorded 12 kills without an attack error in the first set, hitting .462. CSUSB finished with 10 kills and five errors for a .156 hitting percentage.
The Coyotes responded by taking a 12-5 advantage in set two. After San Francisco State cut the lead to five, CSUSB scored five consecutive points to move ahead 17-7. Hartman had three kills during the run, while junior Sarai Ross and senior Allison Legates added one apiece.
The Gators erased the deficit with an 8-1 run that tied the set at 21-21, but CSUSB answered with the final four points. Senior M'Kera Drake started the closing stretch with a kill before junior Kisa Sagiao and senior Kacie Pedersen added kills to give the Coyotes the set.
CSUSB totaled 15 kills and hit .297 in the second while holding San Francisco State to a .100 hitting percentage.
The Gators led 6-4 early in set three before the Coyotes used a 5-1 run to move in front. CSUSB later extended a 17-15 advantage by scoring four of the next five points. Hartman recorded three kills during that stretch, and Ross and Drake combined for a block that made it 21-16.
San Francisco State pulled within three at 24-21, but a service error ended the set. The Coyotes finished with 14 kills and hit .310.
CSUSB took control of the fourth set with an early 7-3 lead and increased the margin to 17-10. A 3-0 run, which included a Pedersen service ace and a kill by Legates, pushed the advantage to 21-12. The Coyotes hit .323 in the final set and limited the Gators to eight kills and a .056 hitting percentage.
Hartman led CSUSB with 14 kills on .400 hitting. Pedersen recorded 13 kills, 10 digs, three service aces and two solo blocks, while Sagiao added nine kills on a .533 hitting percentage and 11 digs. Drake finished with six kills on 12 attempts and a match-high five blocks.
Junior McKenna Edwards distributed 27 assists while adding nine digs and two aces. Sophomore libero Saniyah Sobers led the Coyotes with 16 digs.
CSUSB hit .271 for the match and held advantages in kills, 52-42, digs, 65-56, and total blocks, 9-5.
The Coyotes return to Kim Cherniss Court on Saturday for a 5 p.m. match against Cal State East Bay.
