FULLERTON, Calif. – Giulia Bonifacio started her Louisiana Tech career by leading the Bulldogs to a split on day one of the Fullerton Invitational. Tech would drop the first match 3-0 to San Jose State before bouncing back to take down host Cal State Fullerton at Titan Gym on Friday.
 
The Bulldogs started sluggish and quickly fell behind 10-3 early in the first set against the Spartans. The deficit would grow to as much as 10 before LA Tech started to fight back and go on a 6-2 to cut it down to 17-12. San Jose State would end up being too much in taking the set 25-14.
 
Charlize Williams gave the Bulldogs momentum early in the second set as Tech built a 10-3 lead. San Jose State turned things around and closed the set on a 22-7 run to take a 2-0 advantage.
 
Bonifacio would start to find her groove and score four points during the Bulldogs' 9-2 run. Louisiana Tech would not be able to keep the momentum, and San Jose State would tie it up at 13 apiece. From there, the Spartans would close out the match with a 12-2 run.
 
The second match was heading in the same direction. Cal State Fullerton jumped out to a 10-2 lead, the only points coming from kills by Bonifacio. A Rori Gray kill would spark a 5-1 run to bring LA Tech within five. A 7-1 run brought the Bulldogs the score to 16-14, and another 5-1 run closed the gap to one. The Titans would end up taking the set 25-22.
 
That late set surge gave the Bulldogs all the momentum. Bonifacio and Gray combined for four points to give Tech an 8-3 lead. Fullerton did not go away quietly, and the teams traded points. The Titans made one final push before the Bulldogs closed it out to tie the match, taking set two 25-23.
 
The third set would be another battle, but Tech would get even contributions from Bonifacio, Gray, and Jailen Hurley. The trio would get three kills apiece, and the Bulldogs would close out the set on an 8-1 run and take the 2-1 advantage.
 
Another back-and-forth battle would ensue, and Tech's grit showed. Every time Fullerton took the lead, Tech responded and tied the set. Once again, Bonifacio and Gray would be a dynamic front row and combine for four points to give the Bulldogs the lead 21-18.
 
A 3-0 run by the Titans would tie it up before the Bulldogs closed the match with five of the following six points.
 
Bonifacio would lead LA Tech in kills for both matches, accounting for nine against San Jose State and 14 against Cal State Fullerton. She would finish with a .522 hitting clip against the Titans.
 
Gray added 11 kills on a .455 clip against Fullerton, and Williams added nine kills over the two matches. Meghan Scharpenberg and Grace Krohn contributed 19 and 18 assists in the second match. McKenzie Johnson had 20 digs and four aces on the day.
 
Blaire Flemming led San Jose State with 14 kills, while Ameena Campbell, Lyla Traylor, and Lolo Fonua had double-digit kills for Fullerton with 18, 11, and 10.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Amber McCray


"I am so proud of the way our team rebounded from a tough opening match this morning to take the W tonight. We are still in such a growing process for our team with so many new players and even returners in new roles, and today definitely reflected that. However, I am beyond proud of the way our team handled the changes and most of all how we responded after dropping the first frame and then again being down 21-16 to come back and win such a pivotal third set. Tonight we had several clutch performances, most notably Giulia and Rori who were both on fire and led us offensively. I also have to give significant credit to our first contact players who allowed us to stay in system majority of the night, along with our setting duo of Meghan Scharpenberg and Grace Krohn who did an excellent job with their choices and set distribution. We will look to build on this win and come back in the morning with a fresh start as we take on this scrappy CSUF team again."
 
NOTABLES

• McKenzie Johnson finished with four aces, giving her 102 for her career.
• Johnson moved into No. 6 on the LA Tech career digs list, surpassing 1,300 at 1,304 and passing Sarah Oesterling.
• The nine aces were the most since the Bulldogs had 14 against Southern on Sept. 15, 2023.
• Meghan Scharpenberg's 18 assists were a career high.
• The Bulldogs fell to 2-19 all-time against San Jose State and moved to 1-0 against Cal State Fullerton.

 
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs return for a rematch against Cal State Fullerton to close out the Fullerton Invitational. First serve is set for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN+.
 
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