SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco State women's volleyball team received double-digit kills from four players en route to a four-set surprise of previously unbeaten and 24th-ranked Cal State East Bay (20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-23) in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match Friday night at the Main Gymnasium.
After dropping the first set, the Gators rallied to capture the final three frames for their second upset over a ranked team in the last 10 days, improving to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play. Previously, SF State knocked off No. 23 Alaska Anchorage in another four-set affair on Sept. 7. Meanwhile with the loss, the Pioneers slip to 8-1 on the year and 3-1 in the CCAA.
Sophomore Lauren Walsh knocked down a match-high 16 kills to lead a balanced Purple and Gold offense, while senior Sarah Lewis (12) and juniors Halimah Oswald (11) and Robyn Hall (10) all reached double-figure kill totals as well. Not to be outdone, sophomore Iris Tolenada notched her second double-double of the year, dishing out 48 assists and scooping up a season-high 15 digs, while junior Sarah Kurfess topped all players with 24 digs of her own.
CSUEB was paced by Katie Allen's nine kills, while K.C. Walsh and Lauren Massa contributed 20 assists and 18 digs, respectively.
“Our players pushed through a tough week of practice and did a great job tonight,” said Gator head coach Michelle Patton. “Iris' connection with both Halimah and Sarah Lewis was key and Sarah Kurfess kept us in the match defensively. Overall, each one of our players made a huge play at some point during the evening.”
Despite hitting just .180 for the match and committing 12 more errors (30-18), SF State owned a sizeable advantage in kills (57-39), assists (52-37), digs (65-47) and service aces (9-2), including Tolenada's season high of four in the latter category.
The two sides battled one another through eight ties and two lead changes in the opening set until the Pioneers went ahead to stay, 15-14, following a Gator attack error. Moments later, CSUEB stretched the margin to seven at 23-16, courtesy of an SF State service miscue, and was never threatened the rest of the way.
The Gators took control from beginning of the second stanza, jumping out to a quick 3-0 advantage after kills by Lewis and Walsh sandwiched around a Pioneer attack error. Leading 14-10, SF State gave itself a little breathing room with an 11 -7 spurt, capped by an Oswald kill to even the match at one set apiece. The Gators limited the Pioneers to a -.056 attack percentage during the frame on five kills in 36 attempts with seven errors.
SF State, which never trailed in the second set, found itself in a tight battle early in the third frame as CSUEB forged an 11-10 lead thanks to a kill by Sukhjit Athwal and a pair of errant Gator attacks. The two sides traded points over the next three serves until a kill by Lewis put the Gators in front to stay at 12-11. SF State managed to increase its lead to five on three occasions, including a 20-15 advantage following another Lewis kill. Shortly thereafter, the Pioneers were able to narrow the gap to 22-20 on a Gator attack error. However, the Purple and Gold withstood the challenge, tallying the final three points to escape with the set, courtesy of a Lewis kill, a Pioneer miscue and a Kurfess service ace.
The Gators rode that momentum into the fourth stanza, building a 10-2 cushion following a kill by freshman Megan Larmour. Things continued to look good for SF State later in the set as a Walsh kill enabled the host school to maintain its eight-point bulge at 17-9. CSUEB picked itself off the mat at this juncture, however, fashioning a 13-5 run to tie the score at 22-22 as Brianna Bryant and K.C. Walsh stuffed a Gator shot at the net. An exchange of kills by Lewis and the Bryant soon followed when Lauren Walsh launched a kill to put SF State in front 24-23. With the crowd on its feet, the Gators quickly salted the match as Larmour and Oswald combined to block Mona Goudarzian's attempt at the net.
SF State will have little time to rest as it tackles another nationally ranked opponent on Saturday, Sept. 18, when No. 11 UC San Diego visits the Main Gymnasium for another 7 p.m. match. The Tritons (5-3, 2-2 CCAA) were defeated in five sets at Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday.
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