Carson, CA - Cal State Monterey Bay kept its momentum going as it used a .210 to .098 hitting advantage to hand the Toros a 3-1 (20-30, 20-30, 30-26, 23-30) loss, and play spoiler for the Toros on senior night in the Torodome.
The Otters would come out quickly in game one, grabbing the first three points and forcing the Toros (8-16, 5-13 CCAA) to call an early time out.
However, senior Denise Herrera (El Monte, CA/East Los Angeles College) would get the offense rolling, recording a kill for followed by back-to-back service aces to knot the game at 3-3.
Neither team would give an inch over next few plays and tie five more times until a Toro attacking error would give the Otters lead at 15-14, a lead CSUMB would never relinquish in the frame.
Game two would see CSUDH put itself in an early 6-0 hole and never recover as CSUMB ran away with game.
Game three would be another tight game early on, with neither team able to pull away. The Toros would open up a slim 14-10 lead, but would watch as the Otters climbed back into the match a few plays later to cut the Toro lead to one at 16-15.
The two teams would slowly inch their way and find themselves knotted at 25-25. However, senior Nicole Hoffman (Clovis, CA/Fresno CC) would break the tie with a kill and CSUDH would grab the game.
In the fourth frame, the Otters would once again jump on the Toros and build a 20-10 lead.
After trading points over the next few plays, senior Shannon Finley (Simi Valley, CA/Moorpark JC) would enter the game with CSUDH down 23-13, and the Toros would begin to show some late life.
CSUDH would grab a point on an Otter ball handling error, and senior Maria Miranda (Lakewood, CA/Cerritos CC) would step behind the line and serve an ace.
With the Otters sitting on 29, ready to end the game and take the match, Finley and Sophia Lopes (Los Angeles, CA/Santa Monica CC) would put up a wall and start one last Toro run.
CSUDH would run off three straight points before CSUMB finally earned its 30th point to finish off the Toros.
The Otters were led by double-doubles by Courtney Taubert and Brittany Etchings, each with 16 kills and 19 and 18 digs, respectively. Christine Ricketts rounded out the Otters in double figures with 11 kills, while libero Katie Bos picked up 19 digs.
Freshman Penina Suddeth (Hesperia, CA/Hesperia HS) led the offense with nine kills and nine digs, while senior Timary More (Torrance, CA/El Camino CC) chipped in 7 kills in the effort. Miranda and senior Courtney Spainhour (Redondo Beach, CA/El Camino CC) tied for team high honors with 10 digs each.
The Toros will finish their 2006 season with a two-game road trip to Sonoma State on Friday, November 3, and Humboldt State Saturday, November 4, with both first serves scheduled for 7:00 pm. This road trip will mark the last games for six departing seniors in Timary More, Denise Herrera, Shannon Finley, Courtney Spainhour, Nicole Hoffman, and Maria Miranda, who all will be concluding their collegiate careers.
