Bulldogs drop season opener to American River, host defending state champ Feather River on Friday

SAN MATEO – All signs pointed to a successful season opener for the College of San Mateo women's volleyball team.

On Wednesday, the Bulldogs won the first two sets of its home contest against a tough American River College squad. But CSM couldn't close out the Beavers and suffered a shocking five-set loss (23-25, 15-25, 25-19, 25-21, 15-9).

Despite the defeat, freshman Olivia Cooper put together a solid collegiate debut for the Bulldogs. She led the offense with 15 kills to go along with 11 digs and a block.

Jordan Flowers and Faith Crouch both had 8 kills each, Emeli Muagututia posted 31 assists and 10 digs, and Alexa Rentar led CSM with 23 digs.

Bulldogs' head coach Katie Goldhahn will look to repeat the success of last year's squad. The 2022 Bulldogs also started off slow, opening with a 2-2 record before eventually earning a spot in the State Championships for the first time in program history.

CSM will face another huge test in its next match when the Bulldogs host defending state champion Feather River College on Friday (Sep. 1) at noon.