PORTLAND, Ore. — Cal State Fullerton women's volleyball dropped its season opener in four sets (25-21, 19-25, 28-30, 16-25) to San Diego State Friday afternoon at the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown.
Freshman Ameena Campbell led the Titans with 14 kills on a team best .182 clip, also tallying 16 digs for a double-double in her first collegiate outing. Lyla Traylor added 12 kills, seven digs and three blocks, while Bianca Martinez notched eight kills and a pair of blocks.
Ryleigh Garis posted 32 assists on the afternoon while Nadia Koanui had a match-high 26 digs. As a team, Fullerton hit at just a 0.90 clip compared to the Aztecs' .193.
The Titans took command early, winning set one 25-21 behind seven kills and a .545 hitting percentage from Traylor. After dropping the second set, Fullerton came from behind in the third to earn a set-point opportunity at 27-26, but ultimately fell 30-28. The Titans then fell 25-16 in the fourth, losing the match 3-1.
Fullerton jumped out to a 6-3 advantage early in the first set following kills by Traylor and Campbell. Traylor stayed hot, adding another kill and a service ace to give the Titans a 15-12 advantage. Fullerton used a 3-0 run later in the set to go up 19-16, before Garis set Laura Williams up for a kill to seal the 25-21 set win.
In set two the Titans again got out to a quick start, using back-to-back block assists by Aaliyah Fasavalu and Traylor to go up 6-2. But San Diego State fought back, using an 11-4 run to take a 13-10 lead. The Titans responded with kills from Campbell and Martinez but it was all Aztecs down the stretch, as San Diego State sealed the set 25-19.
Game three started back-and-forth until the Aztecs used an 8-3 run to take a commanding 23-18 advantage. They then pushed the game to set point at 24-20. But Fullerton refused to go away, staving off four consecutive set points following kills from Campbell and Williams, to tie the set at 24-all.
The Titans then earned a set-point opportunity of their own at 25-24, and again at 27-26. San Diego State scored the next two before a Martinez kill tied game three back up at 28. But the Aztecs prevailed, scoring the following two to take a 2-1 match lead.
Fullerton hung around early in set four, with Traylor posting a kill and an ace on back-to-back plays to tie the game at five. But San Diego State took control with a 12-4 run, forcing a Titan timeout. The Aztecs went on to score the final four points of the set to win 25-16, taking the match 3-1.
The Titans stay in Portland for another pair of matches this weekend at the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown, first taking on host Portland State tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 26, at 5:00 p.m. PT.
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