CBU Turns in Gutsy Performance in WAC Home Opener

Saturday, October 5

Riverside, Calif.

7:00 PM PST

California Baptist University

7-8

UT Rio Grande Valley

7-10

UTRGV

California Baptist

Sydney Marks and Hana Okuhara team cheer

Carissa Rivette, Yagoda Jedrzejczak and Nicole Abreu team

CBU Turns in Gutsy Performance in WAC Home Opener

10/5/2019 9:48:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Andrew Shortall, Director of Athletics Communications

RIVERSIDE – Up against the defending Western Athletic Conference champions, California Baptist University nearly pulled off a wild comeback in its home league opener on Saturday night.

After dropping the first two sets, the Lancers rallied back to force a fifth and deciding game against The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the Van Dyne Gym. CBU came just one point shy of forcing bonus points in the finale before falling to the 2018 WAC regular-season champion Vaqueros, 25-20, 25-18, 20-25, 19-25, 15-13.

CBU's serving kept it in the match, as it logged eight aces on the night. Three Lancers finished the match with double-digit kills and digs. Sydney Marks (16), Christine Graf (13, .290 percentage) and Megan Sester (10) led the offense with at least 10 kills each.

🔨

Sydney Marks with the hammer! She's up to 12 kills on the match! #LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/Qap8XqcQMv
— CBU Volleyball (@CBUvolleyball) October 6, 2019

Meanwhile, Nicole Abreu (15), Cassidy Dennison (12) and Natalie Zimmerer (10) led the defense with each picking up 10 digs or more. Zimmerer completed her eighth double-double, with 29 assists, as well. Sophomore setter Hana Okuhara was impressive off the bench, with 15 assists and six digs in just three sets.

CBU showed incredible resolve on several occasions Saturday. It started in the third set where UTRGV led 18-14, threatening to sweep after winning the first two sets. The Lancers completely flipped the script and ended the game on an 11-2 run. Yagoda Jedrzejczak sparked the run at the service line, with two aces and a kill in the run, while Sester and Marks also had three points (two blocks, one kill).

🔥🔥🔥

NOT DONE YET!

CBU takes the third set after going on an 11-2 run! #LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/sPQNUtgGnb
— CBU Volleyball (@CBUvolleyball) October 6, 2019

The Lancers took charge of set four with a 5-1 run that gave them a 17-13 lead. They never trailed from there en route to a 25-19 win to take things into a fifth set.

ALL RISE #LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/EAwff9ZjqF
— CBU Volleyball (@CBUvolleyball) October 6, 2019

Once again, it appeared UTRGV had things in hand when it opened the fifth game on a 7-2 run. CBU responded and led 8-7 at the switch, thanks to a 6-0 run, highlighted by two kills from Marks and one each from Jedrzejczak and Cassidy Dennison.

UTRGV answered back to take leads of 10-8 and 13-10, but the Lancers scrapped back each time. Consecutive kills from Marks and Dennison tied things at 10-10.

🎉

We are all tied up at 10-10! #LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/OagfG9xQRa
— CBU Volleyball (@CBUvolleyball) October 6, 2019

Then kills from Marks and Chandler Gorman leveled the score again at 13-13. The Vaqueros managed to score the next two points, though, and escape with the victory.

😎

Chandler Gorman makes it happen, and the Lancers trail by one! #LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/bcsqxPjlfW
— CBU Volleyball (@CBUvolleyball) October 6, 2019

CBU drops to 7-9 and 1-2 in the WAC this year, while UTRGV improves to 8-10, 2-2 in WAC. The Lancers' schedule does not let up, with the defending conference tournament champions one of two undefeated teams left in the league, New Mexico State (12-3, 3-0), visiting the Van Dyne Gym on Monday at 7 p.m.