Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco State trio of Meagan Wright, Megan Johnson and Kelly Ostello combined for 49 of the team's 67 kills on Friday to lift the Gator women's volleyball team to a 3-1 triumph (25-14, 21-25, 25-21, 29-27) over visiting Chico State in a key California Collegiate Athletic Association match at The Swamp.

With the victory, the Gators (15-6, 10-4 CCAA) remain tied for third place in the conference standings with Sonoma State, while the Wildcats (14-7, 8-6 CCAA) drop to fifth as the two schools split their season series for the third straight year.

Wright posted a sparkling .432 hitting percentage, blasting a match-high 20 kills, while Johnson hit at a crisp .419 pace with 15 put-ways of her own to go with a season-best four block assists.  Ostello (14) surpassed double digits in kills as well, while Jazmine Williams and Jaclyn Clark added eight non-returnables apiece.

Anchoring the defense for the Purple and Gold was Jessica Nicerio, who led all players with 20 digs, while reigning CCAA Player of the Week Iris Tolenada notched her sixth straight double-double and 14th of the season after finishing with 56 assists and 13 digs.

On the flip side, Chico was led by Alex Shurtz's 18 kills, while Ellie Larronde collected 16 put-aways of her own. Elsewhere, Jessica Simms (16) and Emily Duran (14) combined for 30 digs, while Sable Villaescusa handed out 44 helpers.

SF State outhit the Wildcats .316-.270 in the slugfest, maintaining a 67-53 advantage in kills, a 64-52 spread in digs and a slim 6-5 edge in total blocks.

The Gators were all business in the opening frame, knocking down 16 kills on 26 attempts with just one error for a blistering .577 attack percentage.  SF State led throughout the set, save for a 1-1 tie, as Wright combined with Tolenada on a block and subsequently launched a kill to put the host school firmly in control at 22-12.

Chico got its offense clicking in the second stanza by recording its best hitting percentage of the night at .410 as Shurtz and Larronde hammered six kills each, while Villaescusa and Hannah Wilkins launched three apiece.  With the score knotted at 13-13, the Wildcats reeled off five straight points to take the lead for good.  The Gators twice narrowed the gap to three, but two late put-aways by Larronde  proved too much to overcome.

SF State countered with a 52-shot barrage in the third set as 22 balls hit the floor for pay dirt. The Purple and Gold forged a seemingly insurmountable 17-8 lead following a Wright put-away, before Chico fashioned a furious rally, taking advantage of five Gator attack errors and an errant serve to pull within 21-20.  However, SF State withstood the challenge as Wright fired off another pair of kills, while Ostello knocked down another for the clinching point.

SF State came out in the fourth frame determined to put as much distance between itself and the Wildcats.  Things looked good early on for the Purple and Gold as a Nicerio ace provided the hosts a 10-5 cushion.  However, Chico uncorked an 11-5 run, capped by a Larronde kill, to jump in front, 16-15.  The stage was then set for a dramatic conclusion as the two sides combined for 13 ties and seven lead changes down the stretch.   With the crowd on its feet, the Gators endured three set points before Johnson ended the suspense by launching a kill and promptly joining forces with Wright on block for the winning tally.

SF State will be back in action on Saturday when it locks horn with Cal Stanislaus in another league matchup at The Swamp, beginning at 7 p.m.  The Warriors (7-15, 4-10 CCAA) suffered a 3-0 defeat at Sonoma State on Friday.