CHARLESTON, S.C. – Cal State Fullerton got great efforts from Holland Crenshaw, Niki Withers and Megan Kurz as they defeated Stetson 3-1 (27-25, 25-17, 13-25, 25-18) Friday afternoon in the opening match of the College of Charleston Classic at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C.
Crenshaw was one of three players to record double-digit kills for the Titans (5-3) against the Hatters (5-2), leading the way with 18 kills, tying her career high. She led the team with a .438 hitting percentage and also added three digs and two blocks. Withers had her eighth consecutive double-digit kill performance, recording 12 to go along with six digs, a new career high. Kurz also tallied 12 kills and added five digs and two service aces.
Junior Mackenzie Olsen dished out 38 assists and added five digs while McKenna Painton paced the defense with 19 digs. Paige Reed added 11 digs while Rachel Brown and senior Devin Ulmer each had eight.
The teams got off to a tight start, going back and forth in the opening set. The first game featured eight ties and seven lead changes, but the Titans found themselves in some trouble after falling behind by five points, 12-7. The Titans mounted a 9-3 run to take the lead but the Hatters took it right back. After a few more ties and lead changes, the Titans got themselves to set point at 24-22 thanks to a pair of kills from Crenshaw, who tallied 10 of her 18 kills in the opening set.
But the Hatters would score three straight to retake the lead and give themselves a set point. Kurz responded with a kill to tie the game and then Ulmer recorded back-to-back aces to secure the opening frame and give the Titans the 1-0 lead.
It was a bit of the same in the second frame as the teams were deadlocked six times while trading the lead on four occasions, but much of that came early in the set. With the scored tied 10-10, the Titans got a pair of kills from Withers and one from Crenshaw to take a three-point lead and they never relinquished the advantage, closing out the frame on a 7-1 scoring run.
After dropping the third set, the Titans took control in the fourth as they never trailed in the set. They outhit the Hatters .379 to .333 in the fourth. They also went on a 9-2 scoring run to take a 22-12 lead and they never looked back.
The Titans will return to action Saturday morning as they take on Wake Forest in their second match of the College of Charleston Classic at 8 a.m. Fullerton will then close out the tournament when they take on the hosts at 4 p.m. later in the day.
Notes: Stephanie Buss had three kills and tied for a team-high three blocks on Friday… The Titans' 27 points in the first set were the most for the team in a set this season… The match featured a total of 19 ties and 14 lead changes… Fullerton had 65 digs as a team while the Hatters posted 61. The Titans are now 4-2 this season when they have more digs than their opponents… Ulmer finished the match with four service aces, tying her with Katie Roux for the most by a Titan in a single match this season… The Titans were outhit .199 to .177 on Friday. It was the first time Fullerton has won a match this season when having a lower hitting percentage than their opponents… The Titans are now 3-2 in four-set matches.