CBU Tames Toros in Four

Tuesday, September 26

Carson, Calif.

7:00 PM

California Baptist University

12-0

Cal State Dominguez Hills

5-7

California Baptist

Cal St. Dom. Hills

Photo by: Andrew Shortall

9/26/2017 9:14:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

CARSON, Calif. – There was adversity in California Baptist University's nonconference match at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Tuesday, as the Toros became just the second team to take a set off the seventh-ranked Lancers.

CBU was determined to leave it at that and ended the non-conference match in four sets, 25-22, 25-13, 28-30, 25-16 in the Torodome. It completed a 27-set winning streak for CBU, the second longest in program history, but it improved to 12-0 on the year in the matches, while CSUDH drops to 5-7.

"Dominguez was playing really, really well and very scrappy," Coach Branden Higa said. "We just needed to find our footing, level out again and return to doing what we do when we play our best. We make a lot of defensive plays, a lot of the little plays and are able to turn those into swings."

Lauren Hackett finished with a match-high 21 kills and added 14 digs, three blocks and two aces, while Madison Witt joined her with a double-double of 16 digs, 11 kills and six blocks. McKenna Witt finished with 11 kills and seven digs, as well.

Sydney Kralj posted a season-high 53 assists, 11 digs, three blocks and three kills for CBU, which also received 19 digs from Nicci Hinderaker and a season-high nine blocks from Yagoda Jedrzejczak. Sydney Marks also added eight kills and six blocks.

CBU found itself in the unfamiliar position of trailing with just a few points left in set one, 21-18. The Lancers flipped the script and kept their set-winning streak alive with a 7-1 run coming on two kills each from Madison and McKenna Witt.

Set two was tied 5-5, but that became a distant memory after CBU scored four-straight points, sparked by two kills and a block assist from Marks. The 9-5 lead ballooned to a comfortable 22-10, thanks to a 13-5 run highlighted by two kills and a block from Hackett and two blocks and a kill from Jedrzejczak.

The Toros looked to take things to a fifth set by taking a 12-9 lead in set four, but the Lancers were having none of it. A solo block from Jedrzejczak and a kill from Hackett tied things up at 12-12. It started a 9-2 run that included four Hackett kills, two blocks and a kill from Jedrzejczak that gave CBU an 18-14 lead.

CSUDH was forced into a timeout, but committed an attack error out of the break to keep momentum with CBU. A combo block from Jedrzejczak and Madison, followed by another Toro error made it a 21-14 Lancer lead with time running out. McKenna scored three of her team's final points with kills to end the match, 25-16.

"We have needed a team to come out hard against us and not back down," Higa said. "They scrapped, played hard and were fearless; for us, that was a great test. I couldn't ask for a better situation."

The Lancers resume PacWest play on Saturday, with a trip to Concordia (Irvine) for a 5 p.m. first serve and then a return to the Van Dyne Gym to host Academy of Art on Wednesday, Oct. 4^th at 7 p.m.