FULLERTON, Calif. — Despite holding a 2-0 match lead, Cal State Fullerton women's volleyball fell in five sets (25-20, 25-21, 19-25, 17-25, 10-15) to UC Davis Friday in its Big West opener. The result moves the Titans to 1-9 on the season and 0-1 in conference play.
Ameena Campbell paced Fullerton with 15 kills on a .250 hitting percentage, also adding 13 digs, two blocks and a service ace. Aubrey Beaver had 11 kills and five aces, becoming just the eighth Titan in program history to record five or more aces in a single match.
Laura Williams and Bianca Martinez tallied eight kills apiece. Ryleigh Garis dished out 38 assists and added eight digs and two kills. Fullerton hit at a .127 clip while the Aggies hit .265. UC Davis outnumbered the Titans in blocks (14-5) and assists (56-43).
Fullerton got out to a quick start in set one, with a Beaver ace highlighting a 3-0 run to give the Titans an 8-5 lead. Kills by Campbell and Williams later put Fullerton up 13-7. After withstanding a 4-0 UC Davis run, a Beaver kill gave the Titans the 25-20 set win.
With Beaver at the service line in set two, Fullerton posted eight straight points to take a 12-5 advantage. Kills by Martinez and Beaver and a Leilani Lopez service ace later put the Titans up 21-15. Garis finished off the set with a dump kill to give Fullerton a 2-0 match lead.
Teams traded points to start the third set, with a kill by Campbell and an Aggie attack error tying the game at 15. UC Davis scored the next four, but the Titans responded with a 3-0 run capped by a Garis ace to come within one, 19-18. But the Aggies finished the set on a 6-1 run to take it, 25-19.
Teams again started set four back and forth, with a Martinez kill on the slide bringing the score to 15-14 for UC Davis. Kills by Williams and Beaver later brought the score to 19-17 for the Aggies, but UC Davis used a 6-0 run to win set four, 25-17, and force a fifth set.
Fullerton went up 6-4 early in set five following a Williams kill on the right side. Aaliyah Fasavalu posted a kill to give the Titans a 7-6 advantage. But the Aggies scored six in a row to take a 12-7 lead and never looked back, winning the set, 15-10, and the match, 3-2.
The Titans return to action tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 23, versus UC Riverside at home. First serve is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PT.
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