SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco State women's volleyball team received double-digit kill totals from three players on Friday to highlight a four-set victory over Cal State Stanislaus (25-27, 25-15, 25-14, 25-18) in a California Collegiate Athletic Association clash at the Main Gymnasium.
After posting a mere .093 attack percentage in the opening frame, the Gators (11-9, 7-8 CCAA) hit at a .336 clip for the remainder of the match to help end their three-match losing streak. Meanwhile, the Warriors were plagued by 12 service errors and committed nine more errant attacks (26-17) than their hosts to slip to 9-8 on the year and 5-9 in league play.
The SF State trio of
Halimah Oswald,
Robyn Hall and
Jazmine Williams was the centerpiece of the Purple and Gold's offense Friday, combining for 40 of the team's 59 kills, while recording an impressive .429 hitting percentage. Oswald led all players with 17 put-aways, followed by Hall (13) and Williams (10), who also finished with four total blocks. In addition,
Iris Tolenada notched her 10
th double-double of the year with 47 assists and 21 digs.
Conversely, CSUS was paced by Lianne Vicchio, who launched 15 kills, while Eva Chafeh (12) and Jennifer Marsh (10) also reached double figures in put-aways in the loss. Elsewhere, Tolenada's counterpart, Jessica Lehner, also doubled up on the stat sheet with 38 assists and 16 digs, while Jaclyn Pinasco led all players with 23 scoops of her own.
The two teams fought through a see-saw opening set that witnessed nine ties and five lead changes. The Warriors fashioned a three-point advantage at 20-17 following a Kayla Giles kill, before the Gators responded with a 6-1 surge, capped by
Melissa Horton's combined block with Oswald, which gave the hosts a slim 23-21 edge. CSUS closed with a rush, however, as Marsh knocked down three kills during a 6-2 run to clinch the frame.
Undaunted, SF State returned with a sharper offense in the second stanza, recording its best hitting percentage of the night at .357 on 17 put-aways in 42 swings with just two errors. The Gators broke open a tight 12-10 contest with a strong 13-5 flurry as Oswald blasted five kills down the stretch, while Tolenada and
Lauren Walsh added two apiece.
The Purple and Gold maintained that momentum in the third frame, grabbing an insurmountable 13-5 lead on the strength of two put-aways each by Hall and Oswald. SF State also took advantage of seven Warrior attack errors during that stretch, while Williams and Johnson combined on a block as the host school was never threatened the rest of the way.
The Gators soon found themselves in a dogfight in set number four, however, as the two sides battled through 10 ties and three lead changes. Two Chafeh kills midway through the set helped nudge the Warriors in front by two at 15-13, but SF State quickly seized control with a timely 12-3 outburst to secure the victory, fueled by four Hall put-aways and another three by Oswald.
The Gators close out their homestand on Saturday when they tackle Chico State, starting at 7 p.m. in the Main Gym. Tomorrow's contest has been designated as SF State's “Dig for a Cure” match to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness month in October.
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