ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The San Francisco State women's volleyball team twice found itself on the wrong side of the scoreboard Friday after dropping a pair of matches on the first day of competition at the 2010 Seawolf Spike Tournament. The Gators (0-2) suffered a heartbreaking five-set defeat at the hands of Seattle Pacific (25-23, 23-25, 12-25, 25-23, 15-10) before falling to Grand Canyon in a dramatic four-set battle (16-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-20) at the Wolves' Den on the Sonoma State University campus.

Sophomore Lauren Walsh knocked down 43 kills in the two matches, including a career-high 28 in the opener against SPU on a school-record 85 attempts.  In addition, senior Sarah Lewis hit. 362 on the day, notching 20 kills overall on 47 tries with just three errors, while juniors Robyn Hall and Halimah Oswald blasted 16 and 14 kills, respectively.  Oswald also showed her defensive prowess at the net, posting six total blocks. Sophomore setter Iris Tolenada, the 2009 California Collegiate Athletic Association Freshman of the Year also got into the act by dishing out 94 assists overall.

In the opening set against Seattle Pacific, the two sides battled it out in the early going before the Falcons went ahead to stay at 7-6 on a pair of kills by Lindsey Wodrich.  SF State was unable to gain the upper hand the rest of the way as SPU stretched its lead to 20-15 following a Gator attack error.  SF managed to pull within one at 24-23 on Walsh kill; however, a Sarah Risser kill on the ensuing serve proved to be the clincher for the Falcons.

The second frame was another back-and forth affair after a kill by SPU's Nikki Lowell tied the score at 11-11 to erase a 7-1 Gator advantage.  SF State persevered, however, withstanding two ties to forge a slim 24-22 cushion. Then following a kill by the Falcons' Paige Hoffman on the next serve, Walsh countered with a kill of her own to even the match at one set apiece.

With momentum on their side, the Gators came out firing on all cylinders in the third set, hitting .379 during the frame, while limiting SPU to a .029 attack percentage. Two Oswald kills and a Falcon attack error provided SF State with a comfortable 10-2 cushion as the Gators cruised the rest of the way.

SF State kept up the pressure on early in the fourth stanza, opening with a 5-0 outburst that featured two Walsh kills and a Sarah Kurfess service ace.  However, the Gators would soon find themselves in a dogfight after a kill by Lowell knotted the score at 9-9.  The two sides would combine for 11 more ties and four lead changes, with an SPU service error giving SF State a slim 23-22 advantage.  The Gators could not put the Falcons in their rearview mirror, though, committing two attack errors sandwiched around a bad set, which allowed SPU to escape with the set.

Buoyed by their good fortune, the Falcons jumped up to a quick 5-0 lead in the fifth set, highlighted by two block assists each from Hoffman and Angie Pricco.  Shortly thereafter, SPU stretched the margin to 12-4 on consecutive kills by Risser.  The Gators were able to claw their way back into contention, as a Hall kill followed by consecutive Falcon errors brought the Purple and Gold to within 14-10. However, the deficit proved too much to overcome as Risser clinched the match with a kill set up by Shelby Swanson.

In addition to Walsh's career match, SF State received 10 kills from Hall and 53 assists from Tolenada, while Kurfess and fellow classmate Reyna Rochin scooped up 24 digs apiece. Conversely, SPU had three players surpass double-digit kills in Risser (19), Lowell (17) and Wodrich (16).

In the first set of the nightcap against Grand Canyon with the score tied at 6-6, a Walsh kill ignited a 16-6 blitz as the Gators opened a 22-12 bulge and did not look back.

The Antelopes turned the tables in set two as a Jackie Luallen service gave GCU at commanding 16-6 advantage.  SF State fought back; however, trimming the deficit to two at 20-18 following a kill by freshman Megan Larmour and consecutive GCU attack errors.   The Gators kept things close, but a block by Brooke Blomenkamp and Kristen Preach snuffed out the threat, giving the clinching point to the 'Lopes.

The third stanza witnessed a classic seesaw affair, with the two teams combining for 17 ties and six lead changes.  With the scoreboard knotted at 23-23, GCU escaped with the set after an SF State attack error and a kill by Tommyka Henry.

The Gators were unable to extend a 4-1 lead in the fourth frame as the 'Lopes took advantage of three consecutive SF State attack errors and a Blomenkamp service ace to pull ahead to stay at 8-5.  With the Gators in pursuit mode, back-to-back Oswald service aces brought the Purple and Gold to within 20-19.  However, GCU kept the Gators at bay for the remainder of the set as Luallen's service ace secured the match.

As a team SF State knocked down eight more kills than the 'Lopes (51-43), but committed seven more errors (30-23) and managed five total blocks, compared to GCU's 10.

Walsh finished with 15 kills, while Lewis notched 13 of her own on  25 attempts with two errors for a .440 hitting percentage.  Defensively, Kurfess led the way with 23 digs for the Gators, while Tolenada posted a match-high 41 assists.  Meanwhile, GCU's Erica Ehlo led all players with 17 kills for the match.