By Devan Lee |Staff Writer|
CSUSB women’s volleyball comes out on top of their conference after they shut out rival school Cal State Los Angeles, Saturday Oct. 20.
The victory marked the team’s third win in a row after they faced a bitter defeat against Cal State East Bay a week earlier that ended their eight game winning streak.
After such a disappointing loss, head coach Kim Cherniss and her staff devised multiple strategies to bounce back and inevitably gain a winning edge in their upcoming games.
Cherniss believes having to work around the team’s youth and inexperience has become one of the main obstacles the Coyotes have faced this season.
“We really try to play well in every game, but with such a young and fresh team it’s become a constant education process,” said Cherniss.
The Yotes appeared to have momentum in their favor in the game against the Golden Eagles, given the history of their performance in the games prior to.
Not only did the Coyotes have a two-game winning streak under their belt, but the Golden Eagles of CSULA had just been shut out a game earlier by the Tritons of UC San Diego.
Players like freshman outside hitter Alexandria Torline played exceptionally well to pull out a sweep against the Golden Eagles.
Torline led the team in kills against CSULA with a total of 12.
Equally impressive was the athleticism of veteran players such as senior All-American Camille Smith.
Smith’s performance included 29 assists, two service aces, and two solo blocks against CSULA.
In my opinion, I personally believe the team’s overall will to win, without a doubt played a pivotal role in their flawless victory.
During the ending moments of the second and third sets, CSUSB trailed behind the Golden Eagles.
It especially looked bleak in the second set when the girls were down by a margin of nine points.
However, the Coyotes managed to run away with come from behind wins in both sets.
Ultimately, their unmatched performance not only gave them the victory against a rival team, but also landed them a first place spot in their conference according to the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings.
There are still a handful of games left in the 2012 season, leaving little margin for error if the Lady Yotes wish to maintain their top spot in the conference.
Coach Cherniss claims the team’s main focus as of lately is to continue their successful performance in games, thus reaching their goal of making it to the postseason.
“We really want to put ourselves in a position to be in the NCAA tournament,” said Coach Cherniss.
According to coach Cherniss, playing in postseason games provides the much needed experience many of the younger players have not yet gained.
Despite their youth, CCAA rankings show that the CSUSB women’s volleyball team has thus far had a successful season.
Only time will tell where the Yotes will end up when the final whistle of their regular season blows.