SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco State volleyball team kicks off its 2010 season this weekend when it heads north to Rohnert Park, Calif., for the fifth annual Seawolf Spike Tournament on the Sonoma State University campus. The Gators will square off against Seattle Pacific on Friday, Sept. 3, beginning at 11:15 a.m., before locking horns with Grand Canyon later in the afternoon at 3:45 p.m. SF State will then close out the tournament on Saturday, Sept. 4, tackling BYU-Hawaii in another 11:15 a.m. start, followed by a 3:45 p.m. showdown against Bay Area neighbor Dominican University. 

Third-year head coach Michelle Patton and her staff enter the 2010 campaign with nine returning letterwinners and three starters from a squad that posted a 20-11 record in 2009 and made its first appearance in the NCAA Division II West Regional Championships since 1987. Setter Iris Tolenada leads the way after a brilliant rookie season when she captured CCAA freshman of the year honors a received second-team All-CCAA recognition. The Antioch, Calif., native set an SF State single-season record with 1,254 assists last year, finishing fourth in the conference with an average of 2.45 helpers per set. She also topped the squad with 30 service aces and ranked second with 351 digs.

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