Cougars Sweep Biola in D2 West Region Showcase Finale Volleyball

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SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos volleyball team concluded the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase on a high note, sweeping Biola in the tournament finale by scores of 25-22, 28-26 and 25-17 on Saturday night.

CSUSM 3 – Biola 0 (25-22, 28-26, 25-17)

TOP PERFORMERS
Olivia Aguilar – .346 attack percentage | 11 kills | 9 digs
Emily Vander Weide – 12 kills | 7 digs
Maddy Newcombe – 9 kills | 3 aces

HOW IT HAPPENED •The Cougars held a 17-9 lead before the Eagles closed the gap and evened the opening set at 22-22. CSUSM knocked off three unanswered points capped by a Biola hitting error to clinch the first set at 25-22.
•CSUSM took a 19-18 lead in the second set on three consecutive kills by Vander Weide and a Newcombe ace, forcing Biola to take a timeout. The Cougars held on to take a 26-24 second set victory.
•A five-point run gave CSUSM an early 8-5 lead and never trailed, finishing with a 4-0 run. The Cougars hit a tournament-high .345 in the final set.

QUICK HITS •The Cougars improve to 6-3 on the season while the Eagles fall to 3-4.
•In their fifth meeting in program history, the Cougars earned their first set win ever over Biola in the first frame.
•The Cougars recorded four of their five aces in the second set.

THOUGHTS FROM CSUSM HEAD COACH ANDREA LEONARD
“It was a great tourney for us to be tested against the top teams in the GNAC and PacWest. We were able to work through some early tourney struggles to find our rhythm again and end with another strong team win. We are ready for conference play now!”

UP NEXT
The Cougars open California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play on the road when the travel to San Francisco State on Sept. 20. First serve is at 7 p.m.