Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO – Kelly Ostello launched 22 kills and Meagan Wright added 20 put-aways of her own as the San Francisco State women's volleyball team rallied to defeat 22nd-ranked Sonoma State (25-23, 22-25, 24-26, 25-19, 15-11) on Wednesday at The Swamp.
 
Megan Johnson also surpassed double-digit in kills with 13 non-returnables as the Gators took over sole possession of first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association  with a 6-1 conference record and an 11-3 mark overall.

In addition, the Purple and Gold received another brilliant performance from Iris Tolenada, who dished out a season-high 58 assists and shoveled up 14 digs en route to her eighth double-double of the season, while Jessica Nicerio and Jaclyn Clark contributed 20 and 15 digs, respectively, to anchor the defense.

Despite trailing in digs (85-77) and total blocks (12-5), the Gators were able to offset 15 service errors with 10 aces, while maintaining a 71-62 advantage in kills and a .268-.234 spread in hitting percentage.
 
Kelsey Hull led a balanced Seawolves (11-4, 5-2 CCAA) attack with 18 kills, while Madelyn Densberger (13), Caylie Seitz (12) and Ally Sather (10) reached double figures as well, but it wasn't enough as SF State snapped a five-match losing streak to its area rival.

The opening set was tightly contested affair as both offenses came out blazing with an identical .444 hitting percentage.  Although neither side could manage more than three points of separation, the Gators went ahead to stay at 20-18 on consecutive kills by Ostello and Wright, while Clark followed with an ace.  SSU closed to within one on three occasions, including a 24-23 spread after a Hull put-away, but SF State stood its ground as Johnson blasted a kill to provide the clinching point.
 
The second stanza witnessed five ties in the early going until the Seawolves nudged in front for good at 13-10 on back-to-back put-aways by Seitz and a Hayley Ross ace. SSU stretched the margin to 20-15 before the Gators mounted a late charge.  Aces by Arianna Cruz and Katie Judd sandwiched around a Wright kill brought the host school to within striking distance at 24-22, but the deficit proved too much to overcome as Densberger launched a non-returnable for the final point, tying the match at one set apiece.
 
SF State nursed a 5-2 lead in the third frame on a Melissa Horton ace before SSU unleashed an 18-8 blitz, capped by a pair of Sather kills, to build a seemingly comfortable 20-13 advantage.  The Purple and Gold fought itself off the ropes with an 11-4 outburst of its own as an Ostello put-away knotted the score at 24-24.  The rally came up short, however, as Hull knocked down a kill following a Gator attack error, allowing the Seawolves to escape with the set.
 
SF State was the beneficiary of some sloppy SSU production early in set number four as the visitors committed six attack errors, while Ostello and Clark added two kills apiece to help stake the host school to a 12-4 lead.  Despite never trailing in the frame, the Gators soon had to survive some anxious moments as a Regan Richert solo block brought the Seawolves back into contention at 19-17.  However, the Purple and Gold responded with three straight points on an SSU service error, a Wright kill and a Johnson ace to pull away down the stretch.
 
With momentum swinging in the Gators' favor, the hosts maintained the upper hand throughout the fifth and deciding frame, save for a 5-5 tie following a combined block by Densberger and Richert.  Wright then took charge, blasting four kills and adding an ace to spark an 8-3 outburst that put SF State in the driver's seat at 13-8.  SSU threw in one last scare, scoring three straight points on two Hull put-aways and combined block by Sather and Brooke Moore.  However, the Seawolves' balloon burst on the ensuing serve with an errant attack, while Johnson put the icing on the cake with a kill as the Gator bench flooded court in jubilation, celebrating the team's first win over a ranked opponent since an eerily similar come-from-behind 3-2 victory over No. 20 Cal State L.A. on Sept. 26, 2010.
 
Three players registered attack percentages over .400 in Wednesday's slugfest, including Wright (.432), who also finished with two blocks in the winning effort.  Conversely, Hull (.438) and Densberger (.433, 0 errors) completed double-doubles with 11 and 14 digs, respectively, as did Ross, who handed out 24 assists to go along with 14 scoops of her own.

The Gators continue their homestand on Friday when they tackle another league contender in Cal State San Bernardino (8-6, 5-1 CCAA) beginning at 7 p.m.