FULLERTON, Calif. — Facing a 2-1 match deficit, Cal State Fullerton women's volleyball came back in sets four and five to secure a five-set win over CSUN Friday night at Titan Gym. With the victory, the Titans improved to 9-4 on the year and 3-2 in Big West play.
Danielle Jefferies led the Titan attack with 17 kills on a .394 clip, while Julia Crawford added 15 kills of her own on the night. Bianca Martinez had a career-high 12 kills while Lyla Traylor and Lolo Fonua each had seven. Elizabeth Schuster dished out a match-high 48 assists to go along with four kills.
The Titans came out quick to start the match, jumping out to a 7-1 lead following back-to-back kills from Martinez. A Jefferies kill later extended the Titans' lead to eight, 12-4. CSUN fought back within five, 18-13, but the Titans maintained control as kills from Martinez and Traylor sealed the 25-19 set win.
S1 | The Titans take set one, 25-19!!#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/nh2YsZgw0d
— Titans Volleyball (@Fullerton_WVB) October 8, 2022
CSUN flipped the script to start the second period, taking an early 8-1 lead. Kills from Fonua and Jefferies brought the Titans within four, 10-6, before a 5-0 run put CSUN up 15-6. CSUN proceeded to finish the set on a 10-3 run, winning 25-9 to tie the match at one.
The Titans responded in the third set with an 8-5 run to start the period, highlighted by a pair of kills from Fonua and another from Traylor. CSUN, however, later used a 5-0 run to take a 13-10 advantage. The Titans fought back to tie the set at 17-all with three consecutive kills from Fonua, Jefferies and Traylor. Teams then traded points, as a Crawford kill tied the set at 22-all, but CSUN proceeded to score three straight to win the set 25-22 and go up 2-1 in the match.
The Titans jumped to a 10-5 lead in the fourth set following kills from Jefferies, Traylor and Crawford. CSUN responded with a 9-1 run to go up 14-11. The Titans refused to go down, however, as kills from Jefferies and Crawford narrowed their deficit, 18-17. Crawford tallied a pair of kills late to give the Titans a 22-20 lead. CSUN kept things close at 23-22, but a Martinez kill and CSUN attack error gave the Titans the 25-22 set win.
S4 | Jefferies showing off the hang time!!#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/oOvZzh081g
— Titans Volleyball (@Fullerton_WVB) October 8, 2022
The deciding fifth set remained close early, as kills from Martinez and Jefferies tied the set at three-all. A kill from Crawford then sparked a 3-0 run to put the Titans up 6-3. Teams then traded points until a 3-0 CSUN run narrowed the Titans' lead to one, 10-9. A Naia Stewart kill and a walk-off service ace from Nadia Koanui sealed the Titans' 15-11 set win and 3-2 match victory.
S5 | POINT. SET. MATCH. The Titans win on a Koanui ace!!#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/FFFiasijrx
— Titans Volleyball (@Fullerton_WVB) October 8, 2022
The Titans remain home for a match against UC Santa Barbara tomorrow, Saturday, October 8th in Titan Gym. First serve is slated for 5:00 p.m. PT.
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