CHICO, Calif. – For the past two seasons, the San Francisco State women's volleyball team has gradually purged skeletons from its closet, and Friday night was another prime example as the Gators defeated Chico State for the first time in 12 meetings (25-20, 29-27, 17-25, 25-18) in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match at Acker Gym.
With the victory, SF State posted its first win over the Wildcats since the 2000 campaign, improving to 9-6 overall and 6-4 in conference play, while Chico State dropped its fourth straight, falling to 8-8 on the season and 3-7 in the CCAA. Earlier this year, SF State also exorcised some demons after ending a 19-match slide dating back to 1996 against Cal State L.A. on Sept. 26.
Lauren Walsh tied a match-high with 12 kills to go along with 10 digs for her seventh double-double of the year, while Halimah Oswald, Sarah Lewis, Katie Judd and Kelsie Brennan recorded seven kills each. Not to be outdone, Iris Tolenada also notched her fourth double-double of 2010, dishing out a match-best 43 assists while shoveling up 12 digs. In addition, Sarah Kurfess was one of five Gators to post double figures in digs, finishing with a match-high 21 scoops, joining Tolenada, Walsh, Judd (10) and Jackie Domecus (10).
Despite trailing in hitting percentage (.122-.115) and total blocks (9.0-6.0), SF State maintained the edge in kills (49-46) and digs (68-62), while serving up eight aces, compared to just one for the Wildcats. The Gators also outlasted Chico State in a pivotal second set that witnessed 17 ties and 12 lead changes.
Jessica Leek paced the Wildcats with 12 kills of her own, while Sable Villaescusa and Makenzie Fahnestock contributed 36 assists and 15 digs, respectively, in the loss.
Trailing 5-4 in the opening set, SF State tallied three straight points on a Chico State service error and errant pass, followed by a Judd kill to take the lead for good at 7-5. Moments later, the Gators extended their advantage to 13-7 after Tolenada and Oswald combined for a block. The Wildcats managed to narrow the gap to 23-20 on a kill by Leek; however, a Robyn Hall kill and subsequent Chico attack error provided the clinching points for the visitors.
The two sides battled throughout a grueling second frame, with the host school taking a 27-26 lead after an SF State attack error. The Purple and Gold maintained its composure; however, reeling off three consecutive points to escape with the set. Following one of the nine Wildcat service errors on the evening, Oswald joined forces with Tolenada on a block and promptly knocked down a kill to give the Gators a stout 2-0 lead in sets heading into intermission.
The third stanza belonged to Chico as the host school grabbed a commanding 8-0 advantage and did not look back. SF State was able to cut the margin to four on two occasions; however the deficit proved too much to overcome. The Wildcats limited the Gators to a -.045 hitting percentage during the set on nine kills in 44 attempts with 11 errors.
SF State reversed that trend in set number four, hitting .212 for the frame on 14 kills in 33 attempts with seven errors. With the score knotted at 10-10, a kill by Hall and back-to-back Tolenada service aces keyed a 6-1 spurt, putting the Gators in the driver's seat at 16-11. The Purple and Gold kept Chico at bay for the remainder of the set, stretching its lead to seven points on five occasions, including the final tally of 25-18 as a Walsh kill cemented the match.
SF State returns to the court tomorrow, Oct. 9, when it travels to Turlock to face an improved Cal State Stanislaus squad, beginning at 7 p.m. The Warriors were defeated by Cal State Monterey Bay in four sets on Friday.
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