POMONA, Calif. – The San Francisco State women's volleyball team came up short against a nationally ranked opponent for the second night in a row, dropping a three-set decision (25-17, 25-21, 25-19) to No. 23 Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday at Darlene May Gym in Pomona, Calif.
The Gators were unable to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Broncos, who raised their record to 12-5 on the season and 9-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Meanwhile with the loss, SF State falls to 11-10 on the season and 4-8 in conference action.
"I thought we prepared better for tonight's match," said Gator head coach Michelle Patton. "I felt our team competed hard against Pomona and I look forward to that carryiing over into practice next week."
SF State kept things close in the first set, but were unable to gain the upper hand after the Broncos went ahead to stay, 8-7, on kill by Allie Newman. Trailing just 16-15, the Gators were unable to curtail the Pomona offense as the home team went on a 9-2 run to capture the set.
The Broncos came out firing on all cylinders in the second set, jumping out to a 6-1 advantage. The Gators came back with a run of their own to pull within 9-8 on a kill by junior
Sloane Williams (Henderson, Nevada, Coronado HS, Lake Land College (Ill.)) and a service ace by freshman
Allison Grandy (Laguna Hills, California, Laguna Hills HS, Laguna Hills HS) However, the momentum swung back to the Pomona side, sparked by an attack error on freshman
Brittany Powell (Chula Vista, California, Otay Ranch HS, Otay Ranch HS) and a kill by Anne-Marie Hofmans as part of a 7-0 stretch. SF State managed to narrow the gap to 22-20 after a Bronco attack error and a block by Williams and junior
Kelly Burke (Redwood City, California, Sequoia, Canada College), but was unable to draw any closer as Pomona closed out the frame on a kill by Elizabeth Diaz.
The two teams also battled early on in the third set, with the Gators clinging to a slim 11-10 advantage. However, SF State was once again plagued by the inability to hold a lead as Pomona went ahead for good at 13-12 following a kill by Hofmans as part of another 6-1 run. The Gators got to within 20-18 on a kill by Powell, but it that would be as close as the visitors would get as the Broncos held on to claim the match.
For the second straight night, SF State was unable to get its offense on track, hitting just .117 for the match, compared to Pomona's .321 clip. Junior
Beth Perkins (Woodland, California, Mt. Hood Community College) recorded double-digit kills for the third outing in row, knocking down 10 on Saturday, helped by freshman
Mary Maiocco (Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield HS, Bakersfield HS) and senior
Anne Heggli (Cool, California, Bear River, Bear River HS), who contributed 11 and 10 assists, respectively, while freshman
Christina Johnson (Wildomar, California, Elsinore HS, Elsinore HS) added 16 digs. In addition, Williams pitched in five kills (.556 pct.) along with one block solo and three block assists.
"I thought Christina showed great leadership in the back row," said coach Patton. "Sloane was also able to put up some good numbers."
The Gators return to the court Wednesday, Oct. 22, for a home date with Cal State Monterey Bay at the Main Gymnasium. Match time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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