TURLOCK, Calif. – A hard-fought match between two teams with identical records was to be expected Saturday night, and the scenario held true to form as the San Francisco State women's volleyball team rallied to defeat Cal State Stanislaus in a heart-stopping five-set thriller (25-19, 21-25, 19-25, 25-19, 18-16) at Warrior Arena.
With the victory, the Gators wrapped up the first half of their 2010 California Collegiate Athletic Association slate on a upbeat note, improving to 10-6 overall and 7-4 in conference play, while the Warriors slip to 9-7 on the season and 6-5 in the CCAA. In the process, SF State also raised its record to 4-1 in five-set matches this year.
Lauren Walsh knocked down a match-high 20 kills, while Sarah Lewis and Halimah Oswald launched 10 non-returnables of their own. With her performance, Walsh reached the 20-kill plateau for the fourth time this year, while Lewis finished with a .429 hitting percentage on the night. Robyn Hall also hit well (.389) on nine kills in 18 attempts with just two errors.
Iris Tolenada figured prominently in SF State fortunes on Saturday as well, handing out a match-best 61 assists, while Sarah Kurfess scooped up team-high 21 digs. Elsewhere on defense, the Jackie Domecus matched a career best with 15 digs of her own, a figure also equaled by Katie Judd, who also posted seven kills.
Despite being outhit .262-.243 for the match, the Gators tied a season-high with 71 kills, compared to 57 for CSUS, and also maintained a 79-74 advantage in digs.
Lianne Vicchio was one of three Warrior players to reach double digits with 17 kills, followed by Melissa Bishop (14) and Kaycee Gow (10). Meanwhile, Nicki Brown dished out 34 assists and Megan Britton finished with a match-high 27 digs in the loss.
SF State hit .286 in the opening set as Walsh and Judd led the way with four kills apiece. The Gators never trailed, save for a 1-0 deficit, as a kill by Walsh and Hall's subsequent service ace put the visitors ahead to stay. Moments later, the Purple and Gold stretched the margin to six at 16-10, following a Lewis kill. CSUS was unable to draw closer than four points the rest of way as a Walsh kill iced the set.
The second stanza was a much tougher battle, featuring 10 ties and six lead changes. The Gators were seemingly in control at one juncture, taking an 18-15 lead after a Walsh kill. However, the Warriors reeled off six straight points to key a 10-3 run to close out the set. A kill by Eva Chafeh ignited the outburst, while another kill by Michelle Fett provided the clinching point.
SF State was unable to contain the Stanislaus offense in the third frame as the host school hit .370 on 19 kills in 46 attempts with two errors. The Gators grabbed an early 5-3 lead on a Warrior attack error. However, CSUS responded with a 12-2 blitz to take a commanding 15-7 advantage it would not relinquish. SF State managed to pull within four at 15-11 following back-to-back kills by Megan Larmour. The deficit proved too much to overcome, though, as a Vicchio kill gave the Warriors a 2-1 lead in sets heading into intermission.
Set number four featured another seesaw affair as the two teams endured 13 ties and seven lead changes. With the score knotted at 18-18, a kill by Lewis fueled a 7-1 Gator surge, sending the match into a fifth and deciding set.
The fifth frame proved no less dramatic as the scoreboard witnessed another 11 ties and three lead changes. CSUS jumped in front 9-6, only to see the Gators tally the next three points on a Warrior attack error and consecutive Walsh kills. Shortly thereafter, an Oswald kill put the Purple and Gold in front 13-12; however, CSUS responded with a Kaycee Gow kill and a service ace by Brown to put itself on the threshold of victory at 14-13.
Once again, SF State flashed its resiliency as a kill by Hall knotted the score at 14-14. Moments later, the Warriors again found themselves serving at match point, 16-15, following a Chafeh kill. However, that serve went awry and CSUS soon committed a ball-handling error, giving the Gators a 17-16 lead. After a Warrior timeout, the Gators put an end to the suspense as Walsh's 20th kill of the night fittingly provided the final score.
SF State returns to action next weekend, Oct. 15-16, for its only two home matches this month against No. 4 Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly on Friday and Saturday, respectively. First serve for both contests is 7 p.m.
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