SAN RAFAEL, Ca -- In a pair of tightly contested matches on Saturday, the Dominican women's volleyball had its bright spots, yet ultimately bowed to Cal State Monterey Bay 25-20, 25-16, 25-15 and Concordia University of Oregon 25-21, 25-22, 16-25, 25-19 on the final day of the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase in the Conlan Center. Seniors Cat Thomason and Kate Even and sophomore Catherine Johnson led the Penguins (2-3) in kills with 14, 13, and 12, respectively, while teammates Josie Walser, a sophomore, had a team-high 46 assists, sophomore Hana Wyles recorded a team-best 43 digs, and senior Brittany Latigue contributed seven blocks on the day.
 
Match 1

Even led the Penguins with eight kills and had a big block to tie the first set 14-14 against Cal State Monterey Bay. However, the Otters improved their record to 5-1 by posting a three-set victory.

Dominican was competitive in all three sets. In the opener, an ace by Even pulled the Penguins to within a point of the Otters, 21-20, and the Penguins were tied 10-10 in the second set. In the third set, back-to-back kills by Walser and Even brought Dominican even at 7-7 and a Walser service ace kept the Penguins close at 13-10.
 
Walser had 14 assists against the Otters while Wyles had a team-high 11 digs and Latigue posted four blocks.
 
Match 2
 
The Penguins built multiple three-point leads in the opening match that featured 11 ties. Dominican had the lead, 18-17, late in the match on a kill by Thomason. Yet the Cavaliers (3-4) scored eight of the last 11 points.
 
In the second set, Dominican trailed 9-4 early, but a kill by Latigue gave the Penguins the lead at 17-16. Latigue and Johnson had four kills apiece in the set. Concordia responded by scoring six consecutive points for a 24-20 advantage over the host team.
 
With Walser serving, the Penguins jumped to a 6-0 lead in the third set and extended it to 17-8 on a kill by Johnson off an assist by Walser. The Cavaliers closed the gap to four, 20-16, causing Dominican to call timeout. Sparked by Latigue and Thomason, the Penguins regrouped and finished the set strong.
The Penguins' momentum carried over into the fourth set as Dominican forged to a 7-4 lead. A kill by Thomason off an assist by Walser gave the Penguins their final lead, 17-16, before the Cavaliers tied the set for the ninth time and seized control by scoring seven of the next eight points.
 
Dominican now embarks on a three-match road trip this coming week to Hawaii. The Penguins play Hawai'i Hilo first on Friday night, Sept. 7, in their first Pacific West Conference match of the season.