SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco State women's volleyball team had its offense held in check Saturday as visiting Sonoma State emerged with a 3-0 triumph (25-20, 25-13, 26-24) in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match at the Main Gymnasium.
The Gators (10-7, 6-6 CCAA) managed just 24 kills on the evening, committing 18 errors in 100 attempts for a .060 hitting percentage, while the Seawolves (13-3, 10-1 CCAA) unleashed the three-pronged attack of Ally Sather, Keala Peterson and Kelsey Hull, who combined for 34 of the visitors' 44 put-aways.
Peterson hit at a blistering .600 clip on 13 kills in 20 swings with just one error, while Peterson (11) and Hull (10) reached the double-digit plateau in non-returnables. In addition, SSU received match highs from Hayley Ross and Taylor Krenwinkel, who finished with 31 assists and 15 digs, respectively.
SF State, meanwhile, was led by
Kelly Ostello's six kills, followed by
Jazmine Williams' five, while
Katie Mullen added 20 assists and eight digs in her first collegiate start.
Despite the lack of production, the Gators nearly made a match of the evening's affair, thanks to eight aces and 10 Seawolf service errors.
Still, SF State found itself in pursuit mode early in the opening set as a Lindsay Lytle kill provided SSU a 14-9 advantage. The Gators twice managed to pull within two, including a 19-17 count following a combined block by Williams and
Robyn Hall. However, the Seawolves effectively thwarted SF State's comeback bid with three straight points, capped by a Hull kill, while Regan Richert's put-away shortly thereafter closed out the frame.
The Purple and Gold trailed just 6-4 in the second stanza, but three consecutive Sather kills and another by Ross highlighted a 9-0 blitz, and SSU never looked back.
The Gators once again found themselves on the wrong side of a 16-9 spread in the third frame, until two service aces by
Lauren Walsh and an Ostello kill keyed a 7-0 surge to tie the score at 16-16. The Seawolves momentarily recaptured the lead with three straight points, but, incredibly, three Johnson aces and another by Oswald fueled a 7-2 spurt, putting SF State in position to steal the set at 24-21. The Gators' hopes of extending the match were soon dashed, however, as SSU closed with a 5-0 rush, sparked by two consecutive Sather kills, while an ace by Ross provided the match-winner.
SF State returns to action next weekend, Oct. 14-15, when it takes on 16th-ranked UC San Diego and No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino on successive evenings, starting at 7 p.m.
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