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SAN DIEGO -- The No. 18-ranked Sea Lions cruised past No.24-ranked Cal State San Marcos in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament Saturday in Golden Gymnasium.


 
The nationals tilt went by almost without a hitch—PLNU surrendered the first set to the Cougars but showed no mercy for the remainder of the match (23-25, 25-14, 25-16, 25-18).
 
The two teams really went after each other in the match opener. By the middle of the set the Sea Lions were at a 14-10 deficit. Slowly but surely, PLNU crept back into the game thanks to timely kills from Tabitha Henken, Destiny McIntyre, and Delaney McCraney.
 
PLNU pulled even and were tied at 23-all, but a pair of back-to-back kills from Cougar Lyndsey Sappington gave CSUSM the first win, and a leg up.
 
The Sea Lions sloughed off the heartbreaker and didn't even give the Cougars a chance to do it again in the second set. Halfway through, PLNU was up 10-4. A barrage of kills from McCraney and Alyssa Dwyer led the Sea Lions to a huge 25-14 win.
 
The final two sets had the same story: big point margins and a lot of Sea Lion kills.
PLNU fought for every single ball even if it came down to pancakes and kicking it every once in a while. Quick reactions and hustle proved that Point Loma would do anything to keep its season alive.
 
The Sea Lions outhit San Marcos .288 to .080 over the match. The Cougars' low hitting percentage speaks volumes of Point Loma's defense. The team shared 12 blocks compared to CSUSM's one. Aimee Bird, Henken, and freshman Caitlin Bernardin combined for 36 digs while Henken, Dwyer and McCraney each recorded double-digit kills.
 
Cougar Sappington led the team and the day with 14 kills, but it wasn't enough to phase the Sea Lion defense.
 
The biggest potential issue the Sea Lions are faced with is service errors. The team committed 17. Saturday, they got away with it, but giving away that many points is never healthy.
 
The team will travel to Sioux City, Iowa where they will compete in the NAIA National Tournament pool play starting on Tuesday, November 29.