SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco State women's volleyball team picked up a clutch victory on Saturday, downing Chico State in four sets (25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 25-18) at the Main Gymnasium.  The Gators (12-9, 8-8 California Collegiate Athletic Association) captured the first two frames to help tame the Wildcats (15-6, 10-5 CCAA), who had won seven of their previous nine matches on the road.
 
The trio of Halimah Oswald (18), Jazmine Williams (12) and Megan Johnson (10) notched 40 of SF State's 62 kills, posting a stellar .405 attack percentage to go along with a combined 13 blocks.  Robyn Hall also got into the act with a season-high 16 put-aways, while Iris Tolenada recorded her second straight double-double and 11^th of the year with a match-best 51 assists and a team-high 16 digs.  In addition, Johnson doubled up on the stat sheet for the fifth time this year after finishing with 14 scoops of her own.
 
On the flip side, Alex Shurtz paced Chico with 16 kills, while Jessica Leek and Makenzie Snyder added 13 apiece in the loss. Leek also led all players with six block assists, while Jacqueline Johnson and Lindsay Quigley finished with five each.
 
Despite committing more attack errors (29-23), SF State maintained a 62-51 advantage in kills and a 68-54 margin in digs.  The Purple and Gold also equaled its season-best with 11 total blocks, edging the Wildcats' total of 10.
 
The two sides grappled through 10 ties and five lead changes in set number one until consecutive kills by Johnson and Oswald broke a 15-15 deadlock to put the Gators ahead to stay.  SF State soon stretched the margin to four on two occasions, including a 24-20 spread following a Hall put-away. Chico promptly cut the deficit in half on a Snyder kill and a stuff at the net by Quigley and Sable Villaescusa, but Johnson launched a non-returnable for the host school to extinguish the rally.  The Gators posted their highest attack percentage of the night during the frame, hitting at a .326 clip on 20 kills in 43 attempts with six errors.
 
The second stanza was nearly a mirror image of the first one, with the two teams knotted at 16-16 after a Snyder kill. SF State once again closed with a rush, however as put-aways by Lauren Walsh and Hall served as bookends to a 9-6 spurt, sending the Gators into the locker room with a commanding 2-0 lead in sets.

The third frame was also a nip-and-tuck affair, featuring 16 ties and seven lead changes, but this time it was the Wildcats who managed to turn the tables late.  After three straight kills by Hall nudged SF State in front 21-20, Chico tallied five of the next six points, including a Snyder put-away to stave off a sweep.
 
With momentum on their side, the Wildcats seemed poised to creep back into contention heading into set number four, but the Gators quickly sandbagged those plans, grabbing a quick 11-4 lead on a combined block by Williams and Tolenada.  Chico then methodically chipped away at the deficit, pulling to within four at 14-10 following an SF State attack error.  However, two straight Johnson service aces and an Oswald kill soon ignited an 8-1 run to put the Gators in control at 22-11, and the Wildcats never threatened again.
 
Prior to Saturday's match, both teams donned pink warm-up shirts to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
 
SF State, which is now alone in fifth place in the CCAA standings, returns to the court next weekend, Oct. 28-29, when it travels to Cal State East Bay and Cal State Monterey Bay on back-to-back nights, starting at 7 p.m.

 
Box Score