SAN FRANCISCO – Just one night after its historic upset of second-ranked UC San Diego, the San Francisco State women's volleyball experienced a reversal of fortune, dropping a five-set marathon to Cal State East Bay (25-20, 17-25, 23-25, 25-23, 16-14) in a California Collegiate Athletic Association tilt on Saturday in the Main Gymnasium.
With the loss, the Gators wrapped up their 2009 home schedule on a somber note, slipping to 19-9 on the season and 12-8 in league play, while the Pioneers put the brakes on a five-match slide, improving to 9-20 overall and 7-13 in the CCAA.
Senior
Beth Perkins (Woodland, Calif., Woodland Christian HS, Mt. Hood CC) knocked down a match-best 18 kills, giving her 412 for the year to become SF State's single-season leader in that category. The Gator outside hitter, who surpassed Christine Given's total of 396 kills set in 1991, also added 14 digs on the evening. In addition, junior
Lauren Hoffman (Fresno,Calif., Clovis East HS, Fresno City College) came off the bench to boost the offense, posting a .310 hitting percentage on 11 kills in 29 attempts with just two errors.
SF State also received a solid defensive support from junior
Mackenzie Pike (Monrovia, Calif., Monrovia HS, Citrus College), who posted a match-best 22 digs, while freshman
Iris Tolenada (Antioch, Calif., Deer Valley HS) notched 45 assists and 16 digs for her 20
th double-double of the year and eighth in her last nine outings.
CSUEB had three players reach double digits in kills, including Brianna Bryant, who tied Perkins for match-high honors with 18 kills of her own, followed by Katie Gellerman (14) and Cara Crowder (11). Elsewhere, Roxanne Neely finished with a match-high 49 assists, while Katie Glomb equaled Pike's output of 22 digs.
Things looked good for the Gators in the opening set after the host school built a 10-5 bulge on a kill by freshman
Lauren Walsh (Coto de Caza, Calif., Tesoro HS). The Pioneers came storming back, however, as a pair of Gellerman kills capped an 11-2 outburst, catapulting the visitors into the lead for good at 16-12. SF State could draw no closer than two points the rest of the way as Gellerman added another kill to provide the clinching point.
Stung, the Gators were all business in the second stanza, limiting the Pioneers to a -.027 hitting percentage while benefitting from 10 attack errors. Sophomore
Robyn Hall (Hayward, Calif., Bishop O'Dowd HS, Univ. of Portland) came off the bench to blast five kills during the set, while Perkins added three of her own. The two teams were tied at 3-3 before SF State reeled off nine unanswered points thanks in large part to four CSUEB attack errors. The Pioneers managed to trim the deficit to five at 22-17 following a block by Gellerman and Bryant. However, the Gators closed out the frame with three straight points on kills by Hall and Perkins sandwiched around a CSUEB attack error.
SF State carried that momentum into set number three, jumping out to an 8-1 advantage after a Tolenada service ace. The Pioneers slowly crept their way back into contention, however, eventually drawing even at 18-18 following a Gellerman kill and a Glomb service ace. The score would be tied on four additional occasions until the Gators settled the issue with back-to-back kills by sophomore
Kyle Lamet (Benicia, Calif., Carondelet HS) and Hoffman to break a 23-23 deadlock.
The fourth set was another back-and-forth affair, featuring 11 ties and three lead changes, as neither team enjoyed more than a three-point cushion. After CSUEB went ahead 19-16 on a Sukhjit Athwal service ace and two Gellerman kills, SF State regrouped with three consecutive points of their own, punctuated by a block from Hoffman and sophomore
Halimah Oswald. The two sides traded the next four points before the Pioneers went out in front to stay at 23-21 following a Gator service error and a block by Crowder and Ariel Ajagu. Moments later with the Pioneers clinging to a 24-22 lead, a Tolenada kill gave SF State one last hope; however, Bryant quickly dashed the Gator comeback bid with a kill of her own to send the match into a deciding fifth set.
The Gators were primed to shake the pesky CSUEB squad in the fifth frame after taking a 4-2 lead courtesy of a Lamet kill. However, the Pioneers stood their ground, tallying four straight points to pull ahead 6-4. From this juncture, SF State was in pursuit mode. Although the host team managed to pull even six additional times, it could never gain the upper hand. Trailing 14-13, a Hoffman kill gave the Gators a ray of hope; however, two subsequent attack errors prevented them from escaping with the victory.
Prior to Saturday's match, SF State recognized its lone departing senior
Beth Perkins as part of Senior Night festivities.
The Gators hit the road for their final two matches of the 2009 regular season next weekend when they battle No. 3 Cal State Bernardino (Nov. 13) and Cal Poly Pomona (Nov.14).
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