FULLERTON, Calif. — Career nights from Lyla Traylor and Danielle Jefferies led the Cal State Fullerton women's volleyball team to a home-opening 3-1 win over Gonzaga Friday night at Titan Gym.
Traylor and Jefferies each posted career-highs in kills on the match to lead the Titan attack. Traylor's 17 bested her previous career-high of 16 set last season against Air Force, while Jefferies' 16 surpassed her previous career-high of 14 set against UC Irvine during the 2019-20 campaign.
Julia Crawford also tallied double digits in kills with 11, while Marisse Turner added nine. Nadia Koanui (15), Elizabeth Schuster (11) and Crawford (10) each contributed double digits in digs while Schuster posted a match-high 36 assists.
The Titans came out hot to start the match, as three consecutive kills by Jefferies, Crawford and Traylor generated an early 5-2 lead. Back-to-back kills by Turner and another from Crawford then capped a 4-0 run to put the Titans up 12-5. The Titans maintained a comfortable lead throughout set one, as a Crawford kill gave the Titans the first set, 25-21.
Kills from Jefferies and Traylor followed by a Malie McClure ace put the Titans up 6-3 to begin the second. A Gonzaga kill cut the Titans' lead to one before a pair of Traylor kills upped the lead to five, 17-12. The Titans never looked back, taking set two 25-17 following a Jefferies kill down the line.
Both teams traded points early in the third set before a 4-0 Gonzaga run gave the Zags a 7-3 advantage. The Titans fought back to tie the game at 8, but another Gonzaga run left the Titans facing a 14-10 deficit. Kills from Jefferies and Traylor cut the Zags' lead to two, 17-15, but Gonzaga ultimately pulled away to take set three, 25-20.
An ace from McClure capped an early 4-0 run in the fourth to put the Titans up 7-2. The Titans upped their lead to seven, 16-9, with a pair of kills from Traylor. The Titans finished the set off strong with a block from Traylor and Turner followed by a Turner kill, taking set four 25-19 and the match 3-1.
The Titans stay home to take on Weber State tomorrow, Saturday, September 10th at Titan Gym. First serve is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
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