Bulldogs move to 2-0 in conference with sweeps of Las Positas, Gavilan; play at UC Santa Cruz Saturday

SAN MATEO – Despite getting off to a slow start this season, the College of San Mateo women's volleyball team is starting to turn things around when it matters most.

After playing one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the state, head coach Katie Goldhahn hopes that experience will pay off now with the Bulldogs opening Coast Conference South Division play and into the postseason.

CSM is now 2-0 in the Coast Conference South after consecutive sweeps of Las Positas and Gavilan colleges this week.

On Wednesday, the Bulldogs rolled to a dominant 25-9, 25-9, 25-9 win at Las Positas in Livermore. Goldhahn was able to let her reserves get playing time as 17 different Bulldogs saw action on the court.

MJ Pakola led CSM with 7 kills, Alexa Rentar had 9 digs, and Emeli Muagututia totaled 13 assists as well as 6 aces in the win.

The Bulldogs followed that with a 25-9, 25-17, 25-9 home victory over visiting Gavilan on Friday. It was San Mateo's third straight win to improve CSM to 7-6 overall.

Things will get tougher for the Bulldogs on Saturday (Oct. 14) when they travel to UC Santa Cruz to take on the NCAA Division III-level Banana Slugs. The match is set for a 7 p.m. start at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz. The matchup is another experience-builder that should help CSM down the line in the playoffs.