Sept. 4, 2010
Box Score
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Three different Toreros recorded double-digit kills paced by Ashton Basch's season-high 14, but it wasn't enough as the No. 11 ranked University of California, Berkeley defeated the 25th-ranked University of San Diego volleyball team 3-0 Saturday evening in the championship game of the USD tournament.
With the 25-21, 25-22, 25-23 loss, the Toreros fall to 2-3 on the season, while the Golden Bears improve to 4-0.
Basch led the Toreros with her 14 kills on 24 swings, to post a .333 attack percentage. Senior right side Ali Troost was the second of three USD players to record double digit kills as she had 11, and senior outside hitter Amy Mahinalani DeGroot recorded 10 kills and racked up eight digs. Kelsi Myers recorded 34 assists in helping steer USD to a .226 team attack percentage.
In the first set, the Toreros grabbed the first point of the match on a Colleen Carlson kill, but the Golden Bears came right back and didn't allow USD to go on a run. Then with the score knotted at 3-3, Cal went on a 8-2 run to take the early momentum and a 11-5 lead. A DeGroot kill then ignited a 8-4 San Diego run that was bookended on a Cal service error to pull the Toreros back to within two at 15-13. However, Cal would not relinquish the lead to USD as they went on to claim the first set 25-21.
In the second set, Cal jumped out to a 7-3 lead, but the Toreros again responded as they went on a 4-0 spurt sparked by a Chloe Ferrari kill and capped on a Cal attack error to even things up at 7-7. The two teams then sea sawed back and forth over a majority of the match with both teams taking its turn with the lead and neither team having a lead bigger than two. Then with the score at 14-14, the Toreros went on a 3-0 run to take its biggest lead of the set at 17-14, but it was short lived as the Golden Bears then went on a 4-1 run to even things up at 18. San Diego would keep things close down the stretch pulling even again at 20-20 on a DeGroot kill, but Cal managed to then outscore USD 5-2 to go into the break up two sets to none.
In the third and final set, the two teams were engaged in a close battle as both teams took their turn with the lead early on and neither team having a lead bigger than two. It was this way for a majority of the set, then with Cal leading 20-18, back-to-back Basch kills brought the Toreros even with the Golden Bears at 20-20. USD would then take a 22-21 lead with a Basch kill, forcing Cal into a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Bears then captured the next two points, which forced the Toreros into a timeout. USD then evened the score at 23-23 on a Cal service error, but that was as close as San Diego would get, as the Golden Bears got the next two points to claim the match.
The Toreros will return to action on Thursday at 7 p.m. as they take on the University of Virginia in a non-conference match at the Long Beach State Tournament.
