Kelsey Johnston (left) and Lacee Ventura were among several Otters celebrating big nights in Saturday's win over Alaska-Anchorage.
BOX SCORE
SEASIDE, Calif. — The number 13 proved to be a lucky one for the Cal State Monterey Bay volleyball team Saturday night. Playing the 13th and final match of the 2012 Otter Classic, the Otters took a thrilling four-set battle from west region rival Alaska-Anchorage, winning 20-25, 25-20, 34-32, 25-19 in The Kelp Bed.
You may be wondering where else 13 came in to play Saturday night. Look no further than the epic third set, where the CSUMB saved 12 set points before winning the set by converting the 13th. Trailing 24-20, the Otters rallied to tie the match at 24-24 before battling the Seawolves in a sideout war destined to become an instant classic.
Sophomore setter
Kelsey Johnston (Ripon HS) served a pair of aces in the four-point rally that knotted the set at 24-24. From that point, a host of Otters stood tall, but none taller than junior outside hitter
Lacee Ventura (Salinas HS), who had three big kills in the sequence, including a deftly placed power tip that broke a 32-32 tie and gave the Otters the only set point opportunity they would need.
“Alaska was a great opponent and that's why we invited them to the tournament,” said CSUMB Head Coach
Jody Garry. “It was back and forth in that third set and they almost pulled away, but two major things helped us: trust and true grit…that's what it's about and that's how we won.”
Individually, the No. 25 stood out as sophomore outside hitter
Julia Ashen (North Salinas HS) set the CSUMB record for kills in a four-set match with a career-high 25, breaking Brittany Etchings mark of 24 set against Cal State East Bay in 2005. She set the mark thanks in large part to a career-best .447 attack percentage (25-4-47).
In addition to Ashen, Ventura finished the night with career-highs of 11 kills and 20 digs. Johnston dished a career-best 51 assists of her own.
As a team, the Otters just missed setting the school record four digs in a four-set match, finishing with 94, two shy of the 96 digs collected at Holy Names in 2004. Their 58 team assists rank No. 2 on that list (63 vs. Humboldt State in 2009).
CSUMB (3-1 overall) returns to action next weekend, traveling to Belmont for the Notre Dame de Namur Tournament.
Katelynn Zanders matched Ashen's total with 25 kills for Alaska-Anchorage (1-3). Libero Siobahn Johnson added a match-high 27 digs.
