Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO – Despite a career-high 16 kills from Jazmine Williams, the San Francisco State women's volleyball team dropped a tough 3-1 decision to Cal Poly Pomona (25-23, 25-22, 19-25, 25-21) on Saturday in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match at The Swamp.

The Gators (13-5, 8-3 CCAA) were unable to overcome 29 attack errors, compared to 19 for the Broncos (9-9, 5-6 CCAA), in a see-saw affair that witnessed a combined 35 ties and 14 lead changes.  With the defeat, SF State now finds itself in a second-place tie with UC San Diego in the conference standings.

Williams hit .483 on the evening, committing just two errors in 29 attempts, while Meagan Wright added 14 put-aways to go along with three blocks, including two solos.  In addition, Iris Tolenada notched her 11th double-double of the year with 44 assists and 18 digs, while Jessica Nicerio contributed 18 scoops of her own.

Conversely, CPP received 13 kills apiece from Jessica Doerner and Alexa Hasen, while Kelly Bonja posted a match-best 19 digs to help the visitors defeat the Purple and Gold for the fifth straight time.

Despite holding a 59-54 edge in kills, the Gators were outhit .210-.166, while trailing in digs (82-80) and total blocks (11.0-9.0) in a defensive battle.

The Broncos were unable to contain Williams early in the opening frame as the SF State middle hitter launched five put-aways to help the host school build an apparent tone-setting 8-1 advantage.  However, CPP flashed its mettle, eventually knotting the score at 17-17 following a pair of Gator attack errors.  Moments later, SF State went ahead 21-19 on a Wright kill and a Jaclyn Clark service ace before the visitors uncorked a 4-1 surge, capped by a Taylr Kreutziger put-away, to jump in front for the first time at 23-22.  A solo block by Kelly Ostello on the ensuing service tied things up once again, but the Purple and Gold was unable to gain the upper hand as Hasen and Nicolette Stork knocked down a pair of kills for the clinching points.

The Gators found themselves on the wrong side of an 8-4 spread in the second stanza until a Wright kill punctuated an 11-5 outburst to provide the hosts a slim 15-13 cushion.  SF State was unable to give itself additional breathing room, however, as CPP responded with a 9-4 surge to take the lead for good at 22-19.  The Gators managed to trim the deficit to one, but two attack errors and a Kreutziger kill down the stretch proved too much to overcome.

Similarly, SF State was in pursuit mode to begin set number three as the Broncos fashioned a pair of seven-point leads, including a 12-5 margin following a Doerner put-away.  However, the Gators outscored CPP 20-7 the rest of the way as Alyssa Rusin provided a much-needed boost off the bench with four kills and a service ace, while Ostello blasted three non-returnables during that stretch.

The stage was then set for a dramatic conclusion as the two teams combined for a whopping 15 ties and five lead changes in the fourth frame.  With the score deadlocked at 20-20, three kills by the Broncos' Brianna Thierjung keyed a 5-1 closing rush that dashed the Purple and Gold's hopes to extend the match to a decisive fifth set. Both sides committed just four errors during the set; however, CPP totaled more kills (18-13), which proved to be the difference.

SF State will hit the road for a pair of matches next weekend, Oct. 19-20, when it squares off against Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State East Bay on successive nights.  First serve for both contests is slated for 7 p.m.