SAN FRANCISCO – Cal State San Bernardino lived up to its billing as the nation's second-ranked volleyball team by handing San Francisco State a three-set defeat (25-15, 25-15, 25-18) in a California Collegiate Athletic Association showdown Saturday night at the Main Gymnasium.
With the victory, the Coyotes remain undefeated with an 18-0 overall record and an 11-0 mark in conference play, while the Gators slip to 14-5 on the season and 7-4 in the CCAA.
SF State was unable to get its offense in gear, hitting just .057 for the evening compared to CSUSB's .300 attack percentage. The Coyotes also displayed their prowess at the net, maintaining a 9.0-3.0 advantage in total blocks.
Individually, the Gators were paced by Beth Perkins (Woodland, Calif., Woodland Christian HS, Mt. Hood CC), who posted nine kills while sharing the team-high honor of eight digs with junior Mackenzie Pike (Monrovia, Calif., Monrovia HS, Citrus College). Also aiding the SF State cause was freshman Iris Tolenada (Antioch, Calif., Deer Valley HS), who contributed 19 assists, and two block assists while junior Lauren Hoffman (Fresno,Calif., Clovis East HS, Fresno City College) added six kills of her own.
CSUSB's Samantha Middleborn led all players with 10 kills, while teammates Sara Hoffman and Camille Smith posted match highs of 30 assists and 20 digs, respectively.
The Gators held their ground early in the first set as the two sides combined for five ties and one lead change. With the score knotted at 9-9, however, the Coyotes crafted a 16-6 run, ignited by an Ashtin Hall kill and two SF State attack errors, to take the set going away.
The Gators were unable to stem CSUSB's momentum in the second frame after falling behind by a 6-1 count. Moments later, the Coyotes widened the gap to 18-8 on two additional kills by Hall and never looked back.
SF State provided a glimmer of hope in the third set, but could not build on an early 6-2 lead. Middleborn and Sara Hoffman combined for a key block to tie the score for the final time in the contest, while a Megan Johnson kill put CSUSB ahead to stay at 10-9. The Gators kept things close; but after a kill from sophomore Brittany Powell (Chula Vista, Calif., Otay Ranch HS) made the score 15-14, SF State committed a service error and two attack errors in a four-point sequence that included a kill by the Coyotes' Jane Chafeh, putting the visitors in the driver's seat at 19-14. The Gators were unable to overcome the deficit as a Middleborn service ace shortly thereafter sealed the win.
SF State hits the road next weekend when it squares off against Cal State Stanislaus (Oct. 16) and 25
th-ranked Chico State (Oct. 17) on consecutive nights. First serve for both matches is set for 7 p.m.
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