UC Santa Cruz 3, Occidental 1

Set Scores: 25-15, 24-26, 25-17, 25-21

By Joseph Compagno

Turning Point: Halfway through the second set, Occidental went on a commanding 13-5 run, including a span of six unanswered points. The dominant spurt was a much needed momentum booster for the Tigers−they went on to win the set, but narrowly dropped the next two and ultimately lost  the match 3-1.

From the Coach: "The difference was blocking," head coach Heather Collins said. "In the second set, our blocking was really good and that's how we were able to get momentum and take the game. If we could've played the whole game like we did that second set, we might have had a different result."

Players of the Match: Freshman hitter Claire Strohm led the Tigers in both kills (16) and digs (14), while Megan Olayinka contributed 10 kills of her own and added four blocks. Kandace Korver and Tiareh Cruz combined for 19 digs, while Cruz also racked up 39 assists out of the setter position.

Next Match: The Tigers will host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Tuesday, Sept. 30.