BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2
BELMONT, Calif. — It took a pair of disparate paths to arrive, but the final destination was victory twice for the Cal State Monterey Bay volleyball team Saturday at the Route 92 Tournament in Belmont. The Otters handled Holy Names 25-22, 25-21, 21-25, 25-18 in the morning before taking a thrilling 20-25, 25-14, 25-14, 11-25, 15-10 win from Academy of Art Saturday evening.

The wins lifted CSUMB's winning streak to a season-high three matches and give the Otters a 6-2 record heading into California Collegiate Athletic Association play next weekend.

Outside hitter Julia Ashen continued the strong start to her sophomore season, leading the Otters with 33 kills Saturday, including 20 in the five-set win over Art U. Freshman outside hitter Jessica Malcolm also contributed in a big way, posting 13 kills against Holy Names and 12 against Art U.

Defensively, five different Otters posted double-digit digs in at least one match, led by freshman libero Rachel Cookus, who led CSUMB with 18 digs versus Art U. and finished with 34 on the day. Junior outside hitter Lacee Ventura just missed her career high with 19 digs in the win over Holy Names.

The Otters return to action next Friday and Saturday, beginning CCAA play with the tough Sonoma State/San Francisco State trip. CSUMB returns home to host Humboldt State Sept. 28 in The Kelp Bed.

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CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY 3, HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY 1
The Otters got Saturday play of on the right foot with a 25-22, 25-21, 21-25, 25-18 win over Pac West Conference foe Holy Names University. The match gave Head Coach Jody Garry a chance to look at her bench as 13 different players saw action. Jessica Malcolm and  Julia Ashen led the Otter attack with 13 kills apiece. Freshman middle blocker Janai Johnson added eight kills, four blocks and a .571 attack percentage.

“The morning match versus Holy Name was a good challenge against a regional foe,” said Garry. “Holy Names was scrappy and definitely brought their best game. We came out flat and on our heels on defense. We pulled out the first two sets thanks to Janai's blocking and some HNU errors.

“Losing game three was a great lesson for us,” she continued. “I am proud of how we started game four and, when things got close in the end, we stayed calm and present and finished strong.”

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CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY 3, ACADEMY OF ART 2
The Otters road a rollercoaster to a 20-25, 25-14, 25-14, 11-25, 15-10 victory against a tough Urban Knight squad. After collecting just seven kills with six errors in dropping the opening set, CSUMB responded with vigor, grabbing a two sets to one lead by hitting .448 and .382 while making just four errors combined.

But the Otters repeated their first set performance in the fourth to set up their first winner-take-all set of 2012. In the fifth, blocking proved key as Summer Esseff and Kelsey Johnston combined to stuff Taylor Suchy to break a 6-6 tie. The duo combined to shut down Suchy again, capping a 5-0 run to put CSUMB ahead to stay at 10-6.

In addition to Julia Ashen's 20 kills and Jessica Malcolm's 12, Esseff finished with eight total blocks. Molly Kennedy added two aces and a career-high 13 digs.

“I was actually kind of happy we went five, to be honest, because this is the kind of work we need in preseason” said Garry. “We need to be pushed, we need to be challenged. We need to have the experience of playing in and, of course, being successful in a game five.”