LOS ANGELES — Not much went right for the Cal State Monterey Bay volleyball team Friday night as Cal State L.A. put the pedal down early and never let up to earn a 25–20, 25–16, 25–20 in The Eagles Nest.
The Otters couldn't get much going in this one, registering just 29 kills, their second fewest in 2016. Freshman
Samantha Brennan (Huntington Beach HS) collected five of her team–high six kills in the first set.
Defensively,
Ashlynne Armstrong (Norco HS) played a strong match on the backline and led the Otters with 17 digs. Brennan and
Anela Visesio (Seaside HS) led the net defense with two blocks each.
THE MATCH WAS OVER WHEN… A Sifa Faaiu kill capped a 5–0 run that gave the Golden Eagles a 13–7 lead in the second set. The Otters did take a brief 8–7 lead in Set 3, but never really recovered from that Set 2 run.
KILLING ME SOFTLY… Samantha Brennan led the Otters with six kills Friday night. They were the fewest kills by an Otter match leader since Melanie Lashbrook led the team with five against Cal State San Bernardino on Oct. 8, 2011.
LEADERS OF THE RAFT… POINTS:
Samantha Brennan 7.5; KILLS:
Samantha Brennan 6; ACES: Three Otters had one; ASSISTS:
Whitney Hirst 18; BLOCKS:
Samantha Brennan,
Anela Visesio 2; DIGS:
Ashlynne Armstrong 17.
PASSING GRADE… Otter passers weren't flummoxed by the CCAA serving leaders from Cal State L.A. in this match. CSUMB did not commit a receiving error in the match. The last time that happened, you ask? Almost one year ago to the day at Cal State L.A. (Sept. 29, 2015).
THE LAST WORD… "We are still struggling to find our confidence, I loved the way our young middles played and I thought
Ashlynne Armstrong did a great job for us adjusting when we needed her to. We will get to where we need to be but need to keep trusting our process." —
CSUMB Head Coach Moe Melhart.
THEY'VE GOT NEXT… Cal State Dominguez Hills hosts the Otters Saturday at 5 p.m. Note that is a change from the originally scheduled time of 7 p.m. The change was made to accommodate CSUMB travel considerations.
GO OTTERS!
