ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The San Francisco State women's volleyball team ended its four-match road swing on a down note Saturday, dropping a three-set decision to 20th-ranked Sonoma State (25-9, 25-11, 25-20) in a California Collegiate Athletic Association contest at The Wolves' Den.
With the defeat, the Gators slip to 16-7 on the season and 9-6 in league play, while the Seawolves claimed their fourth straight win, improving to 19-5 overall and 11-5 in the CCAA.
Individually, SF State was paced by freshman Iris Tolenada (Antioch, Calif., Deer Valley HS), who recorded 22 assists and 11 digs for her team-leading 16th double-double of the year, while freshman Lauren Walsh (Coto de Caza, Calif., Tesoro HS) hit .385, knocking down five kills on 13 attempts with no errors. At the net, sophomore Halimah Oswald (San Francisco, Calif., Waldorf HS) contributed a match-high four block assists, while fellow classmate Kyle Lamet (Benicia, Calif., Carondelet HS) added three block assists of her own.
Senior Beth Perkins (Woodland, Calif., Woodland Christian HS, Mt. Hood CC), who posted a career-high 29 kills on Friday at Humboldt State, was limited just to five against SSU, as the Gators mustered just 27 kills as a team. The Seawolves outhit SF State .343-.071, with Allyson Sather and Keala Peterson notching 13 and 12 kills, respectively.
SSU raced to a 12-5 lead in the opening set and never looked back, employing a 9-3 run to break open a tight 3-2 ballgame. From this point on, the Gators could draw no closer than six points as the Seawolves tallied the final 10 points of the frame.
The second set was eerily similar to the first one as the Gators were unable to get their offense in gear. With the score tied at 2-2, SSU's Rikki Buckshnis and Lindsay Brown combined on a block to spark another 9-3 flurry as the Seawolves once again found themselves in the driver's seat at 12-5. Then after a Tolenada kill, SSU reeled off six straight points, benefitting from three SF State attack errors to effectively put the set out of reach.
Set number three proved to be closest of the match, with the two sides combining for seven ties and three lead changes. The Gators built a 3-0 bulge courtesy of two Walsh kills sandwiched around a Seawolf attack error. SF State was unable to build on its momentum, however, as SSU scored the ensuing four points to go out in front 4-3. Shortly thereafter, a Perkins kill gave the Gators their final lead of the evening at 9-8, but the Seawolves quickly answered with back-to-back kills by Sather and Peterson to reclaim a 10-9 edge they would not relinquish. After SSU stretched the margin to 17-13, SF State pulled to within two at 19-18 as a Lamet kill capped a 5-2 run. However, the Seawolves countered with a 6-2 spurt down the stretch, with a Peterson kill providing the clinching point.
The Gators return to the friendly confines of the Main Gymnasium on, Oct. 27, when they open a five-match homestand against Cal State Monterey Bay. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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