Nov. 1, 2011
Irvine, Calif. - Kayla Neto had 15 kills and 24 digs and landed the final point of the match in overtime as Cal State Fullerton defeated UC Irvine, 3-1 (25-21, 15-25, 25-10, 28-26) in a Big West Conference match at the Bren Events Center.
Fullerton wins two-or-more matches in a row for just the third time this season and improves to 11-13 overall and evens its conference record at 6-6. The final set win for the Titans was also their first when playing in extra time. Before Tuesday night, the Titans were 0-10 when needing more than 25 points to win. Irvine, which hasn't won consecutive matches since mid-September, falls to 9-13, 3-7.
The Titans needed four set points to defeat the anteaters. Down the stretch it was all Jennifer Edmonds and Neto, combining for eight kills, four of which came after the match was tied at 25-25.
The Titans out-hit the Anteaters .184 to .144 despite landing the same number of kills (56) in the match. Edmond had 12 kills and hit a team-leading .286, with Leah Maurer right behind her with 11 kills and a .229 percentage.
Neto reached a milestone early in the third set with her eighth kill of the night. She became just the seventh Titan to reach the 1,000-kill plateau in a career. She finished the night with 1,007 career kills.
Shaina Olsen and Aly Squires combined for 31 of the Anteaters' 56 kills in the loss, with Olsen leading all players with 16.
Both squads had a foursome of players with double digit kills. Irvine's Kristin Winkler led all players with 29 scoops. Gabrielle Dewberry had 27 for Fullerton.
The Titans also go a double-double (assists/digs) from setter Andrea Ragan who logged 43 assists and 15 digs while also landing three service aces and a pair of kills.
The Titans will finish the week with a match this Saturday night against league-leading Long Beach State at Titan Gym. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.