Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO – Balance and efficiency were the operative words for the San Francisco State women's volleyball team on Saturday in a 3-0 California Collegiate Athletic Association victory (25-21, 25-11, 25-20) over visiting Cal State Monterey Bay at The Swamp.  
 
The Gators hit at a .364 clip for the match as five players recorded six or more kills, including nine apiece by Kelly Ostello (.421) and Megan Johnson (.389), who combined for just three errors in 37 total attempts.

With the win, SF State (7-2) notched its third straight sweep, opening with a 2-0 record in CCAA play for the first time ever since joining the conference in 1998. The Otters, meanwhile, drop to 6-4 on the season and 0-2 in league action despite a match-high 14 kills by Julia Ashen.

The Gators maintained a 48-32 advantage in kills and a 7-2 edge in total blocks as CSUMB was limited to a paltry .123 hitting percentage on the evening after committing more attack errors (19-9) than the host school.

Individually, SF State's offensive wealth was also shared by Meagan Wright, who launched eight put-aways to go along with four blocks, including three solos, followed by Jaclyn Clark, who registered seven kills, while Katie Judd provided additional firepower off the bench with six non-returnables of her own. The Gators received another stellar performance from Iris Tolenada (37 assists, 6 digs, 2 aces) as well, while Jessica Nicerio scooped up 14 digs.

SF State opened up a trio of five-point leads in the first set, including a 15-10 cushion following a Jazmine Williams kill, before the Otters rallied with an 8-3 run to knot the score at 18-18.  The Gators experienced three errant attacks during that stretch, while Lily Staight knocked down a pair of kills for the visitors.  However, the Purple and Gold quickly righted the ship as Ostello blasted a pair of put-aways to spark a 7-3 surge to close out the frame.

The Gators put the pedal to the metal in the second stanza, hitting at a .423 pace on 11 kills in 26 swings with nary an error in sight, while CSUMB shot itself in the foot after totaling more miscues (10) than kills (9).  Two Wright solo blocks and another by Williams keyed a 17-4 outburst as a 2-2 tie quickly mushroomed into an insurmountable 19-6 SF State advantage.

The Gators found themselves on the wrong side of an 8-5 score early in the third frame after a combined block by Kelsey Johnston and Janai Johnson.  However, the Purple and Gold once again flashed its resiliency, responding with a 14-4 run, highlighted by three Johnson kills, another two by Judd and a Nicerio service ace to build a 19-12 advantage.  The pesky Otters hung tough, trimming the deficit to two at 21-19 following an errant serve.  SF State withstood the challenge, though, closing with a 4-1 rush, punctuated by an Alyssa Rusin kill.

Staight finished with six put-aways for the evening, while Johnston and Rachel Cookus contributed 26 assists and 15 digs, respectively, in the loss.
 
SF State returns to action next weekend when it travels to the Central Valley, Sept. 21-22, for a pair of CCAA matches at Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State on consecutive nights.  Both contests are slated to get underway at 7 p.m.