BOX SCORE

LOS ANGELES — What a start to a season–high 5–match roadtrip for the Cal State Monterey Bay volleyball team. For the second consecutive match the Otter rallied late to win in five, this time upending Cal State L.A. 25–23, 17–25, 22–25, 31–29, 15–11 Friday night in The Eagles' Nest.

Not only did CSUMB (10–4, 4–2 CCAA) have to come back from a two sets to one deficit once again, this time it had to withstand three match points before winning its longest set since Sept. 1, 2012 to force the winner–take–all fifth set. The win ran the Otters' current winning streak to four matches, their longest such streak since opening the 2011 season with five consecutive wins.

The undisputed architect of Friday's win was junior outside hitter Julia Ashen (North Salinas HS), who posted her second 30–kill match of the season and, in so doing, became the first Otter ever to record two 30–kill matches in her career. Ashen, who entered the week ranked No. 2 nationally by averaging 5.05 kills per set, collected at least 24 kills for the fifth time in her last six matches.

Ashen came up with big kills at timely moments Friday, beginning in the opening set when two late kills helped the Otters rally from 23–20 down to a 25–20 win. An Ashen kill with CSUMB trailing 24–23 in the fourth set saved the first of three Golden Eagle match points. The Otters finally got over the hump when Lacee Ventura (Salinas HS) finished off a CSULA overpass to break a 29–29 tie before a Jessica Malcolm (Lodi HS) kill on the ensuing rally clinched the set.

Ashen had the first five Otter kills of the fifth set as CSUMB raced to a 7–0 lead to take the match by the scruff of the neck. A Loreal Carter ace got the Golden Eagles to within 14–11 late, but an Ashen solo block on match point put an exclamation point on her work for the evening.

Ashen, who added four blocks and a team–high 19 digs, was the only Otter to reach double figures in kills Friday night. Malcolm, who chipped in 18 digs of her own, saw her streak of double–digit kill matches end at 12 as she finished with eight. The Otters also got a team season–high nine total blocks from freshman DJ Gresham-Ryder (Stockton, Calif./Chavez HS).

CSUMB finishes the L.A. swing of its roadtrip Saturday at Cal State Dominguez Hills.