(SAN DIEGO) No. 16 PLNU Volleyball suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday afternoon, falling to (RV) Cal State San Bernardino in a thrilling five-set match (25-23, 25-21, 15-25, 22-25, 13-15).
 
Point Loma jumped out to a 7-1 lead in set one to help the Sea Lions claim the opening stanza before overcoming a 7-14 deficit in set two.
 
PLNU fought back to take its first lead of the second set at 17-16 following back-to-back kills from Abigail Nua.
 
A pair of kills each from Jill Leslie and Saren Rogers then clinched the set for the Sea Lions and put the Yotes on the brink.
 
But CSUSB turned things around and won the final three sets during which the Yotes committed just five attacking errors, including zero in the fifth and final stanza.
 
The fourth set was back-and-forth, with PLNU leading as late as 18-17. The two teams were tied at 21 apiece before the visitors scored four of the final five points to force a fifth set.
 
In that final set, the Sea Lions led by as many as three and held a 13-11 advantage after Kate Sullivan's kill, only for the Yotes to score the final four points of the match to win the San Diego Invitational.
 
Nua led all players with 26 kills, while Rogers added 17. Sophia Baugh recorded 50 assists, while Macy Reynolds (27 digs), Nua (14 digs) and Kira Federico (12 digs) all reached double figures in digs.
 
Point Loma (2-1 overall) travels next to Denver to play in the Colorado Premier Challenge on Friday and Saturday, including matches against No. 18 Bentley and No. 8 West Texas A&M on the tournament's first day.
 
POSTMATCH PRESS CONFERENCE