Lancers Overcome First Real Test

Thursday, August 30

Fresno, Calif.

4:00 PM

California Baptist University

5-0

American

2-2

California Baptist

American

Photo by: Andrew Shortall

Lancers Overcome First Real Test

8/30/2018 7:08:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

FRESNO, Calif. – While California Baptist University ended the first week of the season undefeated, it got its biggest challenge to date against American University to start the Fresno State Invitational on Thursday.

The Lancers were going up against an Eagle team that has qualified for the NCAA Tournament the last five years after winning the last five Patriot League tournament and regular season championships. Fittingly, it went five sets with CBU winning the first two sets and then stopping American's comeback attempt in the fifth, 25-12, 25-19, 15-25, 21-25, 15-12.

The Lancers improve to 5-0 this season and drop American to 2-2 on the year at the Save Mart Center. Two matches await CBU tomorrow, as it will face Saint Mary's and San Francisco at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively, in Fresno State.

Sophomore Tesa Oaks had a career night with 23 kills and nine digs for CBU, while setter Natalie Zimmerer tallied her second double-double of the season with 50 assists, 12 digs, four kills on seven attempts and two blocks. Oaks' 23 kills are tied for the sixth most in a single match in CBU's NCAA era (2013-17). Over that span, she is just the third Lancer to notch 23 or more kills in a match. Those 50 assists from Zimmerer were tied for the 11^th most in the Lancers' NCAA era.

Nicole Abreu tallied 20 digs and two big aces, while Cassidy Dennison added 11 digs and an ace. Megan Sester gave CBU 12 kills and five digs. Middle blockers Yagoda Jedrzejczak (nine kills, .429 percent) and Sydney Marks (eight kills, .368) were both efficient offensively, while adding two and four blocks at the net, respectively.

The Lancers never trailed or were even tied in the first or second sets. They scored the first three points of the match on kills from Oaks, Sester and Jedrzejczak. The closest American would get was 6-4, but four-straight points from the Lancers, which included kills from Marks, Zimmerer and a Dennison ace, gave CBU a 10-4 cushion.

There was no easing up from the Lancers, as they scored the final six points of the set for the 25-12 win. Oaks had two of those points with kills, while Jedrzejczak and Marks had one each.

CBU raced out to a big 11-3 lead in set two, as well. Oaks had three kills in that span, while Summer Avery's serving was a crucial factor, as she notched two aces in that span. American did manage to make the second set a bit more interesting than the first set, as it cut the deficit down to 20-14. Two kills and a block from Marks helped the Lancers secure the 25-19 win, with Zimmerer and Jedrzejczak forming a combo block for the winner.

The third set saw the Eagles take their first lead of the match, as they started it on a 4-0 run. They did not look back in a 25-15 win, and then rode that momentum to a 25-21 win in the fourth set. Both sides were tied at 20 in the fourth, but American finished it on a 5-1 run to force a fifth and final game.

Oaks and Sester both came up big with three kills each, while Abreu had both of her aces in the fifth and final set. American scored the first two points of the finale, but Abreu sparked a 5-0 run back at the service line.

A Sester kill and combo block from Avery and Marks added to the charge, which included both Abreu aces. Two more kills from Sester gave an 8-5 advantage at the switch, and consecutive kills from Oaks made it 10-5.

American fought to stay in it with a 4-1 run cutting its deficit down to 11-9, but an Oaks kill and team block with Jedrzejczak gave the Lancers match point. Avery provided it with her eighth kill of the match.