FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton had two players record double-digit kills but it was not enough as they dropped their Big West Conference opener to visiting CSUN 3-0 (23-25, 17-25, 20-25) Friday night at Titan Gym.
Freshman Niki Withers and junior Holland Crenshaw led the Titans (6-8, 0-1) with 12 kills apiece but the hosts were collectively out hit by CSUN (10-3, 1-0) .316 to .209. Mackenzie Olsen dished out 33 assists to go along with six digs and freshman Katelyn Nielsen added eight kills on offense for the Titans. McKenna Painton led the defense with 17 digs.
For the Matadors, Danetta Boykin led all players with 13 kills while posting a .346 hitting percentage and Casey Hinger added 11 kills with a .375 hitting percentage. Steffi Miller had 42 assists and Kelcie Randazzo posted 17 digs on defense.
In the opening frame, the Titans jumped out in front to an 8-5 advantage. The Matadors responded with four straight points to take the lead and the teams proceeded to trade points until the game was tied at 11. The Matadors would gain an 18-14 advantage following an attacking error by the Titans but the hosts battled back and eventually tied the score again at 21. But the Matadors scored three straight points to take a 24-21 lead and the Titans could not fight off all of those set points, falling 25-23.
Withers, the reigning Big West Conference Freshman Player of the Week, had seven kills in the first set and posted a .211 hitting percentage. Buss and Crenshaw each added three kills in the first game but the Matadors out hit the Titans .234 to .211 as a team. It proved to be the closest set of the night as the teams were tied a match-high six times with the lead changing hands once.
In the second set, the Matadors committed just two attacking errors en route to a .438 hitting percentage in the frame. They led by as much as five at 17-12, but the Titans battled back to make it interesting. Kills from Nielsen and Ally Forsberg along with a service ace by Crenshaw made it 18-16 in favor of CSUN, but the Matadors scored seven of the last eight points and closed out the set on a 6-0 run.
The Titans will return to action Saturday night when they host Long Beach State at Titan Gym with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m.
Notes: Withers has now recorded double-digit kills in 14 straight matches to begin her Titans career… Crenshaw posted a team-high .478 hitting percentage, committing just one error in 23 attempts… Freshman Katie Roux had six digs while Paige Reed and Devin Ulmer each added four… The Titans managed just two blocks on Friday night while CSUN posted 10… Friday night was the second straight year the Titans have dropped their conference opener to the Matadors after they lost in four sets on the road last season.
