SPU-Cal Poly Pomona box score (PDF)
        SPU-Cal State Monterey Bay box score (PDF)
 
POMONA, Calif. – Their two biggest weapons on offense continued to deliver.
 
But when the match was on the line, it was some stellar defense that helped put the result into the volleyball win column for Seattle Pacific.
 
Gabby Oddo and Maddy Batiste both had double-doubles, and Gabi Stegemoller factored into three blocks late in the match as the Falcons beat host Cal Poly Pomona in five games at the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase on Thursday.
 
Scores in Kellogg Arena were 26-24, 16-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-9.
 
It was the second time this season the Falcons went to the deciding game, and this one went their way. Last Friday, they dropped  dropped a five-game to Concordia Irvine at the Seaside Invitational in San Diego.
  
"We were winning the serve-pass battle, and we served pretty tough in that fifth game," Falcons coach Abbie Wright said. "Our eyes were able to work pretty well, and we were able to see what was happening. That helped a lot."
 
Things didn't go quite as well on Thursday evening, as Cal State Monterey Bay scored a 3-0 sweep of SPU, 27-25, 25-12, 25-23. Maddie Batiste logged her second double-double of the day, this one with 14 kills and 11 digs.
  
Seattle Pacific 3, Cal Poly Pomona 2
Senior outside hitter Oddo had 15 kills, 11 digs, and hit .237. Junior outside / opposite Batiste came up with 13 and 13 digs for her fourth double-double in five matches.
 
SPU got eight points on blocks – and three of those came in Game 5: Batiste and Stegemoller to make it 4-2, that pair again to make it 6-2, then Stegemoller and Erin Gould for 7-2. Stegemoller finished with five block assists for the match.
 
 

The Falcons never trailed in that deciding game. Gould and then Batiste had kills to snap a 1-1 tie, and Seattle Pacific then ran off four points in a row to extend a 3-2 lead to 7-2. It was 8-4 when the teams changed sides.
 
Cal Poly Pomona (2-2), coming off a trip to the 2018 NCAA West Regional semifinals, never got closer than three, the last time at 9-6. Down 14-8, the Broncos saved one match point, but Oddo converted the next opportunity with her 15^th and final kill.

"It's keeping your head down and chipping away. We've really talked about having heart and keep grinding away even when the odds aren't in your favor," Wrioht said. "The team did that really well, especially in that fifth game."
 
After leading from the outset of Game 1, SPU found itself down 23-22. Oddo got a kill off the Bronco block to tie it, then delivered a service ace for a 24-23 lead. Pomona tied it at 24-24, then a kill by Delaney Dunham and a Mallie Donohoe service ace closed out the game in the Falcons' favor.
 
CPP raced to a 7-1 lead in Game 2 and never let Seattle Pacific closer than 13-10. The Falcons used a three-point burst late in the third game to turn a 20-18 deficit into a 21-20 lead, then scored the final three to break a 22-22 tie and go up, 2 games to 1.
 
Tied at 15-15 in Game 4, Cal Poly rang up eight straight points, providing more than enough of a cushion to force the deciding fifth game.
 
Seattle Pacific hit .236 with a season-high 59 kills. That marked the third time in five matches it has topped .200, and this one included a .444 performance in the fifth game with 10 kills and just two errors on 18 swings.
 
The Broncos hit even better overall at .284 with 60 kills. But they had just five of those in Game 5 and finished at .000 for that one. Neither Jazminn Parrish, who led with 13 kills, nor Aofiaolela Faa'agi, who had 12, was able to put one on the floor in the fifth game.
 
Both of Seattle Pacific's victories so far this season have come against teams that were in last year's NCAA West Regionals. The other one was in last Friday's season opener when the Falcons swept Cal State East Bay.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay 3, Falcons 0
SPU fought off two game points in the opener, pulling even at 24-24 and 25-25 before the Otters put the last two on the board with a kill and a tip.
 
Monterey Bay then got out quickly in Game 2 with the first four points. The Falcons got within 6-5, but weren't able to put together a sustained run, and the Otter gradually pulled away.
 
 

An 8-1 surge by Monterey Bay in the third game turned a 9-9 tie into a 17-10 lead. But SPU found some spark with nine straight points, the last eight of those with freshman setter Lindsey Lambert on the serve, to go up 19-17. It was then tied at 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23. An Otters kill and an SPU attack error put the final two points of the match on Monterey Bay's side of the board.

"We lost the passing battle and definitely erred way too much," Wright said. "We had some moments where we played really well, but we kind of broke down a little. The game can run away from you when that happens."
  
Each team finished with 38 kills, with Monterey Bay hitting .277 and SPU 165. The Otters also picked up 13 points on service aces; the Falcons had five aces.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Batiste now has double-doubled in five of her six matches this season.
-- Gabi Stegemoller had three block assists against Cal State Monterey Bay, giving her eight for the day.
- Stegemoller also hit a season-best .429 with seven kills and just one error on 14 attacks. That gave her back-to-back matches in that neighborhood. She finished at .400 (7-1-15) in the five-game win against Cal Poly Pomona.
-- With 14 digs in the two matches combined. Gabby Oddo moved past 800 for her career. She now has 807.
-- The Falcons chalked up another 15 service aces – 10 against Pomona, five against Monterey Bay. They now have 46 for the season, led by Oddo's 12.
 
UP NEXT
SPU plays one match on Friday, facing Hawaii Hilo at 5:00 p.m. That will be the second match of the day for the Vulcans. They did not play on Thursday and tangle with Monterey Bay at noon on Friday.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
D2 West Region Showcase
Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019
Kellogg Arena / Pomona, Calif.
 
Seattle Pacific 3, Cal Poly Pomona 2
 
Game scores – 26-24, 16-25, 25-22, 16-25, 15-9.
 
Service aces – SPU 10 (Gould 3), CPP 8 (4 players with 2).
Kills – SPU 59 (Oddo 15, Batiste 13), CPP 60 Parrish 13, Faa'agi 12).
Assists – SPU 57 (Lambert 33, Ibale 17), CPP 54 (Zimmerman 49).
Digs – SPU 52 (Batiste 13, Oddo 11), CPP 58 (Diamond 14).
Block assists / solo – SPU 16 / 0 solo (Stegemoller 5 / 0 solo), CPP 20 / 0 solo (Zimmerman 5 / 0 solo, Hilst 5 / 0 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU 59-24-148—236 (Lambert 3-0-4—750, Stegemoller 7-1-15—400), CPP 60-20-141—284 (Zimmerman 4-0-8—500).
Attendance – 101.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 2-3.   Cal Poly Pomona 2-2.
 
 
Cal State Monterey Bay 3, Seattle Pacific 0
 
Game scores – 27-25, 25-12, 25-23.
 
Service aces – SPU 5 (Lambert 2), CSUMB 13 (Tobin 4).
Kills – SPU 38 (Batiste 14, Oddo 9), CSUMB 38 (Honberger 12).
Assists – SPU 35 (Lambert 26), CSUMB 37 (Torres 35).
Digs – SPU 36 (Batiste 11), CSUMB 40 (Tobin 12).
Block assists / solo – SPU 8 / 0 solo (Stegemoller 3 / 0 solo), CSUMB 10 / 0 solo (Haveman 3 / 0 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU 38-21-103—165 (Stegemoller 7-1-14—429, Batiste 14-6-30—267), CSUMB 38-12-94—277 (Haveman 6-0-11—545.
Attendance – 42.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 2-4.  Cal State Monterey Bay 3-2.
 
Next match
Seattle Pacific vs. Hawaii Hilo
Friday, 5:00 p.m.
Kellogg Arena / Pomona, Calif.