Box Score LA JOLLA, Calif. — The Cal State Fullerton women's volleyball team dropped its Big West opener to UC San Diego in straight sets (13-25, 23-25, 18-25) Friday night. The Titans fell to 5-9 overall and 0-1 in conference play. 

Parys Taylor led the Titans offensively with eight kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Bella Risling followed with six kills, while Sofia Shine and Zariah Crosby added five kills each. As a team, Fullerton recorded 34 kills and hit .125, compared with UC San Diego's .270 hitting percentage and 40 kills.

UC San Diego controlled the opening set, defeating the Titans 25-13. Fullerton posted a .000 hitting percentage and made seven attack errors. Shine led with three kills, while Risling, Hannah Hass, Marisa Nakata, and Crosby each added one. A late block assist from Hass and Italia Bernal cut UC San Diego's lead to 23-13, but the Tritons closed the set with a service ace to take a 1-0 match lead. 

The Titans fell 25-23 in the second set. Risling opened the second set with a kill, while Nakata's 15th service ace of the season pushed the Titans to a 6-2 lead. The Tritons battled back to tie the set at 13-13 and took their first lead of the set, 14-13, on a kill. Nakata tied the set at 17-17 with her 200th career kill, while Crosby recorded a solo block for a 19-17 lead. Kills by Bernal and Taylor extended Fullerton's lead to 21-18, but UC San Diego responded with a 3-0 run to tie the set at 21-21. The Titans and Tritons battled through two additional ties before the Tritons secured the win on a 3-0 run for a 2-0 match lead. 

Fullerton dropped the third set 25-18. The Titans posted a .290 hitting percentage, led by Taylor, who disrupted a UC San Diego 5-0 run with her third kill of the match. Kaia Herweg matched Taylor with kills early in the set to cut Fullerton's deficit to 7-4. A 5-0 run pushed the Tritons to an 18-10 advantage, while Taylor tallied two kills in an effort to close the gap, 23-17. A kill from Herweg fended off a match point, while a kill from UC San Diego completed the sweep. 

The Titans return to Big West action Saturday at UC Irvine. First serve is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT. 

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