ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The San Francisco State women's volleyball team was unable to contain the Sonoma State offense for much of the night on Friday, dropping a three-set decision to the host Seawolves (25-20, 25-19, 25-19) in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match at The Wolves' Den.
SSU hit .305 for the match, including a .383 clip through the first two sets to raise its record to 8-4 on the year and 5-3 in league play, while the Gators slip to 7-6 overall and 4-4 in the CCAA.
Individually, SF State was led by Lauren Walsh, who reached double figures for the 11th time this season with 10 kills, while Halimah Oswald hit .429 for the match with eight kills on 14 attempts with just two errors. Also aiding the Gator cause was Iris Tolenada, who handed out 24 assists, leaving her two shy of third place on the school's all-time list in that statistic. Defensively, Sarah Kurfess scooped up 13 digs, while Sarah Lewis and Katie Judd registered three block assists each.
Despite posting its second-best hitting percentage of the year (.239), SF State was unable to overcome eight service errors and fell victim to seven Seawolves aces.
Keala Peterson recorded 11 kills to pace SSU, while Lindsay Lytle and Taylor Krenwinkel contributed 29 assists and 14 digs, respectively, in the victory.
The two teams battled through four ties and two lead changes early in the opening set as a kill by Oswald, who was 6-for-6 on hitting attempts in the frame, gave the Gators a 12-8 advantage. However, SSU crafted a 17-8 outburst to close out the set, capped by Devynne Johnson's kill. Peterson knocked down four kills during the run, while the Seawolves took advantage of four SF State attack errors and served up three aces.
The second stanza was also close in the early going, until two additional Gator miscues put SSU ahead to stay at 6-4. Shortly thereafter, the Seawolves extended the margin to 16-9, following a kill by Allyson Sather. SF State then took a timeout and soon chipped away at the deficit, narrowing the gap to 17-15 on a pair of kills by Megan Larmour and an SSU attack error. However, the Seawolves tallied the next three points, featuring two Peterson kills to restore a five-point cushion at 20-15. The Gators never threatened the rest of the way as a Sather kill provided the clinching point.
SF State jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the third frame on the strength of two Walsh kills, another by Lewis and an SSU attack error. The lead proved to be short-lived, however, as two bad sets and a kill by Brooke Moore put the host school in front to stay at 7-6. Once again, the Seawolves were able to give themselves some breathing room, building a pair of seven-point leads, including a 17-10 spread on a kill by Ashley Robinson. The Gators were twice able to cut the margin to four, but three consecutive attack errors ultimately sealed the win for SSU.
SF State will return to the court on Saturday, Oct. 2, when it squares off against Humboldt State in Arcata, Calif., beginning at 7 p.m. The Lumberjacks fell to Cal State Monterey Bay in five sets on Friday.
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