DAVIS, Calif. — Cal State Fullerton women's volleyball defeated UC Davis in a five-set thriller Thursday night on the road.
After falling behind 1-0 and again 2-1 in the match, The Titans came back to win sets four and five to come out on top. Fullerton trailed at match point in the fifth set, 15-14, before scoring the final three points to prevail and improve its record to 10-7 overall and 4-5 in Big West play.
Julia Crawford, Danielle Jefferies and Lolo Fonua each tallied 12 kills on the night to lead a balanced offensive Titan attack. Crawford added 14 digs for her 10th double double of the season to go along with an ace and an assist, while Fonua contributed a career-high five blocks.
Lyla Traylor recorded 10 kills and 10 digs for the Titans and Bianca Martinez had nine kills and a career-high seven blocks. Elizabeth Schuster dished out 48 assists to go with nine digs and four kills, while Nadia Koanui contributed a team-high 17 digs and five assists.
In the opening set, UC Davis jumped out to a 7-1 advantage to force an early Titan timeout. The Aggies maintained their lead, using a 5-0 run to later go up by ten, 17-7. A kill by Jefferies gave the Titans some life, but UC Davis proceeded to score seven of the final eight points to take set one, 25-10.
Cal State Fullerton responded in the second set, as a pair of kills from Martinez and another by Jefferies gave the Titans a 9-5 advantage. A Koanui ace later put the Titans up 13-9, but UC Davis scored the next five points to go up 14-13. After trailing 18-15, Cal State Fullerton used a 4-0 run highlighted by back-to-back kills by Jefferies to lead 19-18. Back-to-back kills by Traylor capped another 4-0 Titan run, putting Cal State Fullerton up 23-19, and the Titans went on to take set two, 25-22.
S2 | @lyla_traylor is taking over ��
— Titans Volleyball (@Fullerton_WVB) October 21, 2022
She scores three of the Titans' final four points as Fullerton takes set two, 25-22!!#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/H37LIsv0j8
Both teams traded points throughout much of the third set, as an ace by Crawford and a Traylor kill gave the Titans an early 7-6 advantage. A kill and an ace by Fonua in back-to-back plays put the Titans up 13-12. The set remained close, as Fonua and Martinez came up with a block to later bring the Titans within one, 19-18. UC Davis scored three of the next four to go up 22-19, but another Martinez and Fonua block narrowed the Titans' deficit again to one, 22-21. A kill by Jefferies staved off a UC Davis match point, 24-23, but the Aggies ultimately took the set, 25-23.
Trailing 2-1 in the match, Cal State Fullerton opened set four on a 7-2 run capped by Fonua and Crawford kills. Kills by Schuster, Traylor and Crawford later put the Titans up 12-8. Koanui dropped back-to-back aces to highlight a 5-0 Titan run and put Cal State Fullerton up 18-11. The Titans maintained a comfortable lead throughout the remainder of the set, as kills by Schuster, Fonua and Martinez sealed the 25-18 set four win for Cal State Fullerton.
S4 | @bianca_belizia seals the 25-18 set four win for Fullerton with a kill ��
— Titans Volleyball (@Fullerton_WVB) October 21, 2022
We're going to set 5⃣#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/bvKvtCHsIH
The decisive fifth set stayed close early, as a pair of Jefferies kills gave the Titans a 6-4 advantage. A Naia Stewart ace and Martinez kill put the Titans up 9-7, but three straight points from the Aggies gave them a 10-9 lead. The Titans fought back, as kills by Fonua and Crawford and an Aggie service error put Cal State Fullerton up 14-13 and at match point. UC Davis then scored two straight to go up 15-14 at match point. The Titans came back to seal the win, as a Traylor kill and two consecutive Aggie errors gave Cal State Fullerton set five, 17-15, and the 3-2 match victory.
The Titans defeat UC Davis in a five-set thriller‼️��#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/i7HKZD0WGt
— Titans Volleyball (@Fullerton_WVB) October 21, 2022
Next up, the Titans remain on the road to take on UC Riverside on Saturday, October 22nd. First serve is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PT.
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