LONG BEACH, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton dropped its final road game of the season on Friday night, falling to Long Beach State 3-0 (15-25, 19-25, 19-25) at the Walter Pyramid.
The Titans (0-27, 0-15) have one match remaining on the season as they host CSUN on senior night Saturday at Titan Gym. The 49ers (22-6, 12-3) swept the Titans and remain in second place in the conference.
Katelyn Nielsen led the Titans with 12 kills on the night, 11 of those coming in the first two sets. Megann Delgado added nine kills without an error and hit .600 on the night. Mackenzie Olsen dished out 27 assists and added five digs.
Hayley Benson led the 49ers with 13 kills and Megan Kruidhof added 12 while Nele Barber smacked 10 to lead the Long Beach State offense. Jenelle Hudson dished out 42 assists and added seven digs.
The Titans got five kills from Nielsen in the opening set but the rest of the team managed just five kills combined in the set as Fullerton posted a .135 attacking percentage. The 49ers only hit at a .225 clip in the first set but used a 14-5 run to close out the frame and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Titans jumped ahead in the second set, taking a 7-5 advantage in the early going. Nielsen would add six more kills in the second but the 49ers again mounted a run, scoring 11 of the next 13 points to take a 16-9 lead and they never looked back. Long Beach State hit at a .344 clip, led by Kruidhof and Benson who combined for 11 kills in the frame on 15 attempts without an error. The 49ers only committed three errors as a team in the second set. The Titans committed five in the set but did hit at a .259 clip, their best mark in any of the three sets.
After falling behind in the third set, the Titans mounted a rally to turn a seven point deficit into a one point lead. The team traded points for most of the set until they were tied 18-18 late. But the 49ers ran off seven of the next eight points to close out the match and secure the win.
The Titans final match of the season will take place Saturday night as the team honors Korryne Kelley, Ariana Salazar, Kandace Thomas and Olsen on senior night. A pregame ceremony will be held prior to the opening serve, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
