SAN DIEGO - It was a near-perfect start to the 2019 season for the Point Loma women's volleyball team as they won two matches in straight sets over opponents from the California Collegiate Athletic Association on the first day of the Seaside Invitational. After defeating Cal State East Bay earlier in the day, PLNU defeated San Francisco State 25-21, 25-19 and 25-22 behind a solid team effort.
 
For the second straight match a freshman led the Sea Lions in kills. This time it was Torina Hommes' turn to step up with a match-high 11 kills. Juniors Jaime Cymbaluk and Madie Fox each added nine kills, and another freshman, Alexis Soncrant, had six. Fox posted her nine kills on just 15 swings, and she added four blocks. Courtney Dyer had 19 digs, and Cara Keturakis added 29 assists.
 
After going up two sets, it looked like PLNU might not get the sweep as SFSU took the lead at 19-18. Madie Fox came through late with four kills over the Sea Lions' next five points to put them up 23-20. Following the offensive outburst by Fox, PLNU got a kill from Hommes, and Grace Hicks posted a solo block on SF State's final swing to complete the sweep.

Team Records
Point Loma (2-0, 0-0 PacWest), San Francisco State (1-1, 0-0 CCAA)

Scott's Thoughts
On the importance of the wins against the CCAA teams: "There is no doubt about it that a regional win is a big deal. San Francisco State has a really good chance out of their conference, and CSU East Bay finished eighth in the regional last year (PLNU finished ninth), so we have had that one circled on our calendar for nine months."
 
On the performance from the freshmen: "They all had their moments in at least one of the two matches. In the last one, every one of them stepped up in different ways."
 
On closing out the third set: "That SFSU team serves the ball really tough. We were out of system for a while there, but we were still able to go point for point with them. Fortunately, we were able to hang in there."
 
On the turnaround to playing two more matches Saturday: "All we said to the women after that match was shower, eat, hydrate and sleep. They have to take care of their bodies with this short turnaround."

Scoring Summary
Set 1: PLNU 25, SFSU 21
Set 2: PLNU 25, SFSU 19
Set 3: PLNU 25, SFSU 22

News and Notes
> Point Loma outhit SFSU .248 to .165
> PLNU hit .250 in the last set and SFSU hit just .100, but the set was tied at 20-20
> The Sea Lions are now 2-0 all-time vs. the Gators
> A freshman has led PLNU in kill in both matches

Up Next
The Sea Lions return to the court on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Seaside Invitational against Southern Nazarene.