SAN FRANCISCO – Point Loma is on the road for their last two games of the season this weekend, the first of those games was this afternoon against the Urban Knights of Academy of Art. After a loss at home to the Urban Knights, the Sea Lions were looking to prove that the first game was a fluke and that they could put together a solid game against them. A slow start caused some early uncertainty but PLNU was up to the task coming away with a 3-0 sweep.
Jaime Cymbaluk led the Sea Lions with 13 kills while swing for a .458 hitting percentage.
Alyssa Rifilato earned a season and career-high 18 digs due to her superior coverage of the tip shots from the Urban Knights. The Sea Lions seemed to find their offense the longer the game went on and hit .586 as a team to close out the third set and the match.
Team Records
PLNU (12-15, 9-10 PacWest), ARTU (6-21, 3-17 PacWest)
Turning Point
ARTU pulled within two points of the Sea Lions near the end of the first set, PLNU was up 21-19. Point Loma would win the next four points, securing the set and providing them the momentum to power through sets two and three.
PacWest Implications
This was the last match of the season for the Urban Knights who finished the season 3-17 in PacWest play. The Sea Lions have pulled their conference record up to 9-10 and have a chance to finish .500 in PacWest play if they can secure a win over Dominican tomorrow.
Scott's Thoughts:
On the team's performance today versus the last match against ARTU: "They played more freely. We have had a really good month of practice and things are starting to click a little more consistently, a lot of that is just playing with more freedom."
On Rifilato's defensive play: "She was locked in, her passing and her digging in particular, just locked in. It was cool to see that execution out of her."
On what they need to do to close out the season strong: "We are just trying to stay focused, in the now. When we play with a certain level of freedom the results are starting to come."
Scoring Summary
Set 1: PLNU 25, ARTU 19
Set 2: PLNU 25, ARTU 15
Set 3: PLNU 25, ARTU 15
News and Notes
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Alyssa Rifilato tallied 12 of her 18 digs in the first set alone.
> In the last matchup of these teams PLNU hit .171 for the game, they were able to hit .323 in the win today.
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Cara Keturakis put up a solid stat line, tallying 32 assists, eight kills, three digs, and two block assists.
> The Sea Lions are currently on a three game winning streak.
> Cymbaluk led the team in kills in both matches against the Urban Knights this season.
Up Next
The Sea Lions will play their last game of the season tomorrow at Dominican (CA) at 2 p.m.
