FULLERTON, Calif. — The Cal State Fullerton women's volleyball team dropped its home opener to Cal Poly (9-6, 5-0) in straight sets (19-25, 23-25, 18-25) Friday night. The Titans moved to 5-13 overall and 0-5 in Big West play.Â
The Titans made their season debut at home in front of 460 fans after spending the first six weeks on the road. As a team, the Titans tallied 34 kills with a .128 hitting percentage compared with Cal Poly's 38 kills and .238 hitting percentage. The Titans showcased powerful swings from freshmen
Bella Risling (9 kills) and
Parys Taylor (8 kills).
Italia Bernal served as the primary setter, recording 15 assists, while
Sibley Oster recorded eight.
Zariah Crosby led Fullerton's defense at the net with four blocks, including a solo block.Â
Fullerton fell in the first set, 25-19. The Titans recorded 12 kills on .176 hitting, while the Mustangs found 15 kills on .414 hitting. Risling's four kills in the set led the offense with a .71 hitting percentage. Crosby and Risling combined at the net for a block early in the set to lead the Mustangs 4-2. Cal Poly pieced together three different 3-0 runs to take a 23-17 advantage. Taylor found a late kill in the set, but it was not enough to stop Cal Poly from taking a 1-0 match lead.Â
Cal Poly won the second set 25-23 after battling through 15 ties and six lead changes. Freshman
Sofia Shine led Fullerton's offense with four kills and a .250 hitting percentage, while Crosby recorded two block assists and a solo block, which gave the Titans a 6-5 advantage.Â
The Mustangs held Fullerton's lead to two points for the majority of the set before tying it at 20-20 on a Fullerton attack error. Taylor smashed a ball into the deep corner to take a 21-20 advantage. The Titans responded to later tie the set at 22-22, but the Mustangs scored three of the final four points to secure the set win.Â
The Titans fell in the third set, 25-18. Cal Poly maintained its momentum, finding three straight service aces to push ahead of the Titans, 9-7. A three-point run, highlighted by a Risling kill and Hass service ace, tied the set at 11-11 before the Mustangs pulled away. Fullerton recorded 10 kills in the frame but used a 6-0 run to complete the sweep, 3-0.Â
Opening weekend continues in Titan Gym against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 2:00 p.m.Â
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