Cal State Fullerton

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Cal State Fullerton women's volleyball team fell to The Citadel in four sets (23-25, 23-25, 25-22, 21-25) Saturday at the Playa Bowls Invitational, hosted by Charleston Southern. The Titans moved to 4-5 overall and 2-1 at the tournament. 

Marisa Nakata led the Titans offensively against the Bulldogs with 13 kills and a .375 hitting percentage. The sophomore recorded a .310 hitting percentage across three games with 34 total kills, earning All-Tournament Most Valuable Player honors. Freshman Bella Risling posted a team-high 37 kills over the weekend, while Italia Bernal recorded 97 assists, including 22 in Saturday's match. Bernal's 97 assists earned her an All-Tournament Best Setter award. 

Fullerton dropped the opening set, 25-23, to The Citadel. The Titans tallied 14 kills with a .225 hitting percentage in the first frame. Nakata (13 kills), Sofia Shine (9 kills), and Hannah Hass (8 kills) each recorded three kills. The Bulldogs found a 5-0 scoring run following the media timeout to take a 20-18 lead over the Titans. Hass and Parys Taylor (10 kills) tallied a kill to cut Fullerton's deficit to two points, 23-21. The Titans fended off two set points with kills from Nakata and Taylor before the Bulldogs sealed the set. 

The Citadel claimed a 2-0 match lead with a 25-23 win in the second frame. The Titans took an early 4-1 lead and held a 13-10 advantage, but The Citadel responded with a 5-0 run to take a 15-13 lead. The Titans tied the set at 15-15 and again at 20-20, but the Bulldogs scored six of the final 10 points to take the set, 25-23, and a 2-0 lead in the match. 

The Titans forced a fourth set after sealing a 25-22 win in the third set. Fullerton opened the set on a 3-0 scoring run, highlighted by Taylor's seventh kill of the match. The Titans held the advantage for the majority of the set until The Citadel found a 5-0 scoring run to edge a 14-13 lead. Risling and Shine followed with kills for a 16-15 lead before jumping to a 20-17 lead on two kills from Hass and two service aces from Taylor. Late kills by Nakata were accompanied by the set-winning kill from Risling to cut Fullerton's match deficit to 2-1. 

A 4-0 run featuring kills by Nakata and Taylor gave the Titans a 9-5 advantage, but The Citadel responded with three-straight points to cut Fullerton's lead to one point, 9-8. A 5-0 scoring run pushed the Bulldogs ahead, 14-12, pressuring the Titans to call a timeout. Shine, Hass, Taylor and Nakata tallied kills to tie the set at 16-16 before errors by the Bulldogs gave the Titans an 18-17 lead. Back-to-back kills from Nakata extended Fullerton's lead to 20-18, but The Citadel used a 5-0 run to retake a 23-20 lead. The Bulldogs closed out the set with back-to-back kills to secure the 25-21 win and the match.

The Titans close out nonconference play at the Pelican Invitational, hosted in New Orleans, Louisiana, Sept. 17-19. Fullerton will play four games in three days, featuring matchups against Tulane, Florida A&M, New Orleans and Idaho. 

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