SEASIDE, Calif.---   Stan State ended its four-match road trip this afternoon with a four-set loss (25-17, 20-25, 18-25, 26-28) to the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters at the Kelp Bed in Seaside, Calif.  Samaya Royal paced the visitors with her season high ten kills and five total blocks.  The Warriors will return home this Monday, October 9 at 1pm when they host No. 18 Chaminade in a non-conference match on Education Day at The Fitz.  
 
FIRST SET:  A kill by Samaya Royal off an Eyriana Eatmon assist gave the Warriors a 7-4 lead in the first set.  The Otters recorded the next four points to take an 8-7 lead.  Stan State recorded ten of the next fourteen points including five straight points to take an 18-11 lead capped by back-to-back kills by Isabella Saucedo and Ellison Weaver both off assists from Eatmon.  Stan State (6-10, 1-7 CCAA) took a 23-16 lead on a kill by Alex Byrd (assist by Haley Burdo) and a combined block by Byrd and Autumn Kirby.  The Warriors finished the set off taking two of the final three points including the final point on a Kirby kill off an assist from Gabby Rawson, 25-17.    
 
SECOND SET:   Back-to-back kills by Isabella Saucedo off assists from Gabby Rawson and Eyriana Eatmon put the Warriors up 7-4 early in the second set.  They increased their lead to 12-7 keyed by an Ellison Weaver off a Haley Burdo assist.  Cal State Monterey Bay took a 15-14 lead, but the Warriors tied the set at 15-15.  A combined block by Alex Byrd and Saucedo gave Stan State back the lead, 17-16.  The hosts took five of the next six points to take a 21-18 lead.  The Warriors cut the deficit to 21-19, but the Otters finished the set off taking four of the final five points, 25-20, and evened the match at 1-1.  
 
THIRD SET:  Once again, the Warriors took the early lead this time a 6-2 lead.  Twice the Otters cut the visitor lead to just once including 8-7 on a kill by Kea Veenendaal.  An Alex Byrd kill off an Eyriana Eatmon assist increased Stan State's lead to 9-7. Cal State Monterey Bay (7-8, 4-4 CCAA) recorded the next five points to take a 12-9 lead.  Stan State cut its deficit to 12-11, but the Otters scored the next seven points to take a 19-11 lead.  The Warriors recorded the next three points including two points on kills by Ellison Weaver and Samaya Royal off assists from Haley Burdo.  A kill by Kea Veenendaal increased CSUMB's lead to 23-16.  The Warriors didn't go away as they cut the hosts' lead to 23-18.  The Otters took the set, 25-18, as they recorded the final two points and increased their lead to 2-1 in the match. 
 
FOURTH SET:  The fourth set went back and forth until the Warriors recorded five straight points including three straight on Eyriana Eatmon's service aces to give the guests a 16-14 lead.  CSUMB recorded the next three points to take a 17-16 lead.  A Samaya Royal kill off an assist from Haley Burdo gave the Warriors a 20-18 lead.  CSUMB took a 23-22 lead.  The set was tied four times including at 26-26.  The hosts finished the set and match off with a kill by Kea Veenendaal and an ace by Veenendaal, 28-26 and 3-1.
 
WARRIOR LEADERS:  Samaya Royal had a season high 10 kills to lead the Warriors.  She also tied her season with a team leading five blocks this afternoon.  Ellison Weaver and Isabella Saucedo each had nine kills to go with Haley Burdo's 20 assists.  Eyriana Eatmon added ten assists and five service aces.  Alex Byrd and Saucedo each had four blocks while Gabby Rawson had 15 digs.
 
BACK HOME:  Stan State will return home for its next two matches.  The Warriors will host No. 18 Chaminade this Monday, October 9 at 1pm on Education Day at The Fitz.  They will have a home away CCAA series with Chico State in their next two matches.  The two teams will face each other on Wednesday, October 11 at 5pm at The Fitz in Turlock.  They will finish the week with a match in Chico at 5pm on Friday, October 13.