FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton dropped the first two sets of Friday night's match against Air Force and could not recover as the Titans fell 3-1 (20-25, 23-25, 25-21, 24-26) in the opening match of the Quality Inn-Placentia Fullerton Classic at Titan Gym.
Sophomore Madeline Schneider unloaded 16 kills for the Titans (3-5) at attacked at a .300 clip (16-4-40) on the night while Meagan Carlson added 12 kills and five digs. Rachel Hall dished out 31 assists with eight digs and Precious Manu added 22 helpers in the loss.
Air Force (6-1) was led by the dynamic duo of Elizabeth Pennington and Abigail Miksch. Pennington smashed down a match-high 22 kills for the Falcons along with six digs while Miksch added 18 kills, including six in the fourth and final set.
The Titans dropped the first set after hitting just .158 (12-6-38) as a team while the Falcons hit at a .273 clip.
The second set was much closer as the teams were tied 11 times and traded the lead on three occasions. The Titans hit at a great clip, posting a .412 (18-4-34) percentage but the Falcons were nearly flawless, committing just one hitting error on 33 attempts en route to 19 kills and a .545 percentage.
Fullerton came out of the break with a new lineup and it worked out as they outhit the Falcons .294 to .235 in the third to take the set, 25-21, and cut the deficit in half. Katelyn Nielsen provided the spark as she came off the bench and notched three kills in the third on four attempts without an error. She would finish the match with six kills on 11 attempts without an error.
The fourth set was tight throughout as the teams were tied 12 times with three lead changes and required overtime. Fullerton fought off one match point but Miksch smashed down the deciding kill, her 18th of the night, to end the match.
The Titans will return to action Friday in day two of the Quality Inn-Placentia Fullerton Classic as they open the day with a match against Weber State at noon followed by the final match of the day against Citadel at 7:30 p.m. Citadel faces Colgate at 2:30 p.m. and then Air Force faces Citadel at 5 p.m.
