Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
        SPU-CSULA box score, play-by-play
        SPU-Cal Poly Pomona box score, play-by-play

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – When the Seattle Pacific Falcons needed a boost on offense in their volleyball match against Cal Poly Pomona on Friday night, Ellie Britt was it.
 
The sophomore outside hitter slammed a career-high 18 kills, and junior setter Kendall Langdon recorded her first collegiate double-double, totaling 25 assists and 11 digs as SPU rallied past the Broncos in the season-opening Coyote Classic, 3-1.
 
Game scores in The Den at Cal State San Bernardino were 17-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-18.
 
That gave the Falcons (1-1) a split of their first two contests of the season, as they bounced back from Friday afternoon's 3-1 loss (25-17, 22-25, 25-22, 25-17) to Cal State Los Angeles.
 
"We had much better passing tonight (than in the opener)," SPU head coach Chris Johnson said. "We just got way better in Game 2, and for the rest of the match. Our block got more solidified, and we had way better energy – we were just having fun. It's that chemistry we've been talking about a lot, and it was just a lot more obvious tonight."
 
All of that will be essential on Saturday as Seattle Pacific concludes the tournament by meeting two nationally ranked opponents. First up is host and No. 14 San Bernardino at 2:30 p.m., followed by No. 22 UC San Diego at 7:30.
 
"Especially this first weekend, it's really about our side of the net, control the things we can, make sure we're on the same page, and be in sync," Johnson said. "We did that really well tonight."
 
Junior outside hitter Madi Cavell put down 12 kills for the Falcons, giving her double-digit production for both matches. (She had 14 against CSULA.) Senior middle blocker Nikki Lowell (Claremont, Calif.) had seven kills and seven blocks, and sophomore middle blocker Jackie Arnold (Anaheim, Calif.) had five blocks. Junior libero Brianna Leenders (Portland, Ore.) had 11 digs in both matches.
 
Britt (Orange, Calif.), who also had double kills in both (11 against the Golden Eagles) beat her previous high of 14 kills, set last Sept. 22 at Montana State Billings. Her 38 total attacks also were a career high, one more than she had against Chaminade in Hawaii last Aug. 31. She hit .421 on Friday night, with just two errors.
 
After dropping Game 1 against Pomona, the Falcons built a 12-6 lead in the next game and stayed in front until the Broncos tied it at 22 and again at 23. A kill by Cavell and a Pomona hitting error gave it to SPU.
 
Down 20-19 in Game 3, Seattle Pacific put three straight points on the board to go in front for good. A three-point run in the fourth game snapped a 7-7 tie and put the Falcons in front for good. Britt slammed her career-high 15th kill to make it 17-11, got her 18th to give SPU a match point at 24-18, then teamed with Arnold on a block to close it out on the next point.
 
Langdon (Irvine, Calif.) had 47 assists for the day (22 against CSULA, then 25 against Pomona) – and those also were the first 47 of her career. She played sparingly as a freshman in 2011, then became a serving and defensive specialist last year. Her previous single-match best for digs was four against Alaska Fairbanks last Oct. 13.
 
Cal State Los Angeles 3, Seattle Pacific 1
In a final game of three big scoring runs, Cal State Los Angeles had the last one – and that one was too much for SPU.
 
A seven-point surge by the Golden Eagles in the fourth game put them ahead for good as they went on to beat the Falcons, 25-17, 22-25, 25-22, 25-17.
 
Lowell had seven kills and six blocks (one solo), and hit a team-best .294. She also had a career-high three service aces – all of them in Seattle Pacific's second-game victory. Lowell had just two previous aces, both as a freshman in 2010.
 
In addition to Langdon's 22 assists, and junior setter Sara Biondi (Sacramento, Calif.) had 13. Biondi's total pushed her past 900.
 
Down two games to one, the Falcons fell into a 5-0 hole in Game 4. It was still 8-3 in CSULA's favor when Seattle Pacific went on a 6-0 run, the last five of which came with  Leenders serving. Lowell had a solo block and a kill, sophomore outside hitter Britt had a kill, and Leenders served an ace, putting SPU on top, 9-8.
 
The Golden Eagles (1-1) then ran off seven in a row to go up 15-9. SPU closed to 17-15 before Cal State L.A. scored eight of the final 10 points to clinch the match.

 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Coyote Classic
Friday, September 6, 2013
The Den / San Bernardino, Calif.
 
Cal State Los Angeles 3, Seattle Pacific 1
 
Game scores – 25-17, 22-25, 25-22, 25-17.
 
Service aces – SPU 7 (Nikki Lowell 3), CSULA 9 (Boggs 3, Lofrano 3).
Kills – SPU 42 (Madi Cavell 14, Ellie Britt 11), CSULA 54 (Lofrano 17).
Assists – SPU 39 (Kendall Langdon 22, Sara Biondi 13), CSULA 53 (Bura 42).
Digs – SPU 38 (Brianna Leenders 11), CSULA 49 (Lofrano 13).
Block assists / solo blocks – SPU 14 / 1 solo (Nikki Lowell 6 / 1 solo, Jackie Arnold 7 / 0 solo), CSULA 10 / 1 solo (Bero 4 / 0 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU 42-20-117–.188 (Lowell 7-2-17–.294, Britt 11-5-27–.222), CSULA 54-28-126–.206 (Lofrano 17-8-38–.211).
Attendance – 68.
 

Seattle Pacific 3, Cal Poly Pomona 1
 
Game scores – 17-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-18.
 
Service aces – SPU 6 (Jessica Miller 3), CPP 6 (Megan Byrne 3, Nicoletta Stork 3).
Kills – SPU 45 (Ellie Britt 18, Madi Cavell 12), CPP 53 (Jessica Doerner 14, Lauren Jones 11).
Assists – SPU 42 (Kendall Langdon 25), CPP 48 (Katie Colin 23).
Digs – SPU 46 (Langdon 12, Brianna Leenders 11), CPP 48 (Erin Noriega 14).
Block assists / solo blocks – SPU 24 / 0 solo (Nikki Lowell 7 / 0, Jackie Arnold 5 / 0), CPP 16 / 1 solo (Christen Williams 5 / 0, Stork 5 / 0.
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU 45-18-118--.229 (Britt 18-2-38--.421), CPP 53-29-140--.171 (Elle Moffatt 4-1-7--.429, Jessica Doerner 14-5-33--.273).
Attendance – NA.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 1-1, Cal Poly Pomona 0-2.
 
Next match – Seattle Pacific at No. 14 Cal State San Bernardino, Saturday, 2:30 p.m.