Volleyball Plays Gators Tight, Falls in Three

CARSON -- In the first of what will be a six-match, three weekend homestand, the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros took the San Francisco State Gators to the edge in every set, eventually falling in three sets, 20-25, 21-25 and 26-28. Freshman Azieanna Smith played well throughout, notching eight kills and eight digs.

Things did not start out well for CSUDH as they victimized themselves in set one with nine attack errors and four service errors. Despite the issues, the Toros rallied after being down by as many as nine to get within four before SFSU took the set by a 25-20 final. Senior Cassidy Mangum was a weapon, scoring points for CSUDH with two aces to go along with a dig.

Set two was a back and forth fight with neither team leading by more than three points until the final score, with the road team taking it 25-21. The Toros had the lead as late as 18-17 before four straight Gator points sealed CSUDH's fate. Sophomore Abbey Prusa led the team with four kills on only seven swings to go along with a solo block.

In the third set, CSUDH found a little bit of momentum and took a 15-11 edge before the Gators scored nine of the next 12 to take a two point lead. The score remained close as CSUDH had three chances to close it out before three straight SFSU points ended the match at 28-26.

For the match, CSUDH did well behind the top line with seven service aces compared to only five by the Gators. However SFSU won the blocking battle five to two and outhit the Toros .309 to .173.

Sophomore Elizabeth Krieger had her second double-double in a row and third overall with 10 kills and 15 digs as well as tying for the lead with three aces. Prusa led the team with two blocks to go along with seven kills while senior Olivia White had a team-high 30 assists. Junior Delea Pursel had six kills while Mangum had three service aces.

The Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros volleyball team returns to the court Saturday night at 7:00pm to face the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos. The match will be nationally televised online at www.GoToros.com/Live starting approximately 6:40pm.

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