FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton came up short in the final two matches of the LBSU/CSF Baden Invitational Saturday at Titan Gym.
Alabama 3, Cal State Fullerton 2 (21-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 18-16)
Fullerton flirted with an upset bid against Alabama, which made the 2014 NCAA Tournament and were picked to finish second in the SEC. The Titans took the first two sets in the opening match of the day but the Crimson Tide escaped with a five-set win.
Freshman Summer Kerins led the offense with 13 kills while Kandace Thomas added 10 kills and four digs. Kyra Smith hit a team-best .412 (9-2-17) and added seven blocks (three solo). Megann Delgado chipped in with five kills and nine digs while Paige Reed led the Titans with 19 digs.
For the Crimson Tide, Brittany Thomas was outstanding as she slammed down 26 kills at a .408 clip (26-6-49) and Sierra Wilson dished out 69 assists, four shy of a career high. Krystal Rivers added 18 kills, Tabitha Brown had 11 and Natalie Murison set a new career mark with 25 digs.
The Titans took a 1-0 lead on Alabama after hitting .281 and committing just two errors in the opening frame. Kandace Thomas smashed down five kills including the set-winner to put the Titans ahead. Mackenzie Olsen dished out nine assists in the opening set and Fullerton recorded four blocks including three solos from Olsen, Delgado and Smith.
Fullerton continued to roll in the second set as they edged the Crimson Tide 25-23. Delgado and Kyra Hill each led the offense with three kills as the Titans hit .296 in the set and continued to control the net with three more blocks. The Titans also capitalized on Alabama mistakes as the Crimson Tide committed eight attacking errors in the second set after nine errors in the first. Alabama also tacked on five service errors in the second set after four in the opener.
The third set was another close frame with Alabama edging the Titans thanks to nine kills in the set from Thomas on 12 attempts. The Crimson Tide also outhit the Titans .226 to .196 in the frame despite another eight attacking errors.
In the fourth set, the Titans jumped out to a 9-5 lead but Alabama put up an 11-2 scoring run to take the lead and they never looked back. Fullerton hit just .033 with a match-high seven attacking errors in the frame.
The teams played a tight fifth set that featured 13 ties and six lead changes. Alabama took a three-point lead at 12-9, the largest of the set, but the Titans fought back and Hill smashed her ninth and final kill of the game to give Fullerton match point at 15-14. But Alabama responded and took four of the last five points to secure the match.
St. Mary's 3, Cal State Fullerton 0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-22)
Lindsey Knudsen and Alexis Salmons each blasted 12 kills for the Gaels as they swept the Titans in the final game of the day at Titan Gym.
For Fullerton, Olsen had 30 assists with five digs and Kerins added another eight kills to her total but it was not enough.
The Gaels came out firing as they took 10 of the first 13 points and eventually built a 10-point lead at 16-6 en route to an easy victory in the opening set of the nightcap. The Titans struggled offensively, committing 11 attacking errors in the set. Kerins and Smith had four kills apiece in the first.
Things didn't get much better for Fullerton as the Gaels jumped out to an 8-2 advantage early in the set and outhit the Titans .400 (19-5-35) to .139 (8-3-36) to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was the closest of the match as the teams were tied nine times and traded the lead on five occasions. With the teams tied at 21, the Gaels ran off four of the last five points to score the sweep and leave the Titans winless for the weekend.
The Titans will now spend a month away from Titan Gym as they play four straight tournaments on the road, beginning with the Lobo Classic hosted by New Mexico on Friday.
