Box Score
TURLOCK, Calif. – Despite trailing in all three sets, the San Francisco State women's volleyball team came through with timely runs to emerge victorious by a 3-0 count over host Cal State Stanislaus (25-19, 25-21, 25-22) in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match on Friday at Fitzpatrick Arena.
Kelly Ostello recorded a season-best .481 hitting percentage on a match-high 14 kills in 27 attempts with just one error to help the Gators (8-2, 3-0 CCAA) to their fourth straight sweep and sixth of the year.
The SF State cause was also aided by
Megan Johnson (eight kills) and
Meagan Wright (seven kills, four block assists), while
Iris Tolenada (20 assists) and
Katie Mullen (12 assists) split time at setter. In addition,
Jessica Nicerio posted 12 digs to lead the defense, while
Jaclyn Clark finished with nine scoops of her own.
Conversely, the Pioneers (4-7, 1-2 CCAA) were paced by Eva Chafeh's eight kills, while Kendal Munoz and Ashley Pittman registered match-highs of 27 assists and 16 digs, respectively.
As a team, the Gators hit at a modest .211 clip, but still maintained an advantage in kills (40-32), service aces (6-2) and blocks (7-5), while CSUS committed 20 errors and finished with a .114 hitting percentage.
Trailing 11-5 in the opening frame, Wright blasted four kills to key a 17-4 barrage that put SF State comfortably in front, 22-15. The Purple and Gold also received an ace by
Melissa Horton down the stretch, while non-returnables by Johnson and Clark helped put the finishing touches on the set.
The Gators found themselves on the wrong side of an 8-5 spread in the second stanza before consecutive kills by
Kelsie Brennan and Clark ignited an 8-1 spurt to give the visitors a 13-9 advantage. The Pioneers fought back to tie the score on two instances, including a 16-16 deadlock following a Melissa Bishop put-away. However, SF State rose to the challenge, closing with a crucial 9-5 run, highlighted by three additional Clark kills and another two by Johnson.
The Gators got off to a wobbly start in the third frame as CSUS built a 10-4 cushion, aided by three bad sets and two attack errors. SF State soon cut the deficit in half, but Andrea Fett served up an ace, while Jennifer Marsh and Jordan Harris combined on a block to restore the host school's six-point bulge at 16-10.
Shortly thereafter, the Purple and Gold caught lightning in a bottle as a block by Tolenada and Wright capped a quick 7-1 blitz that knotted the score at 17-17. The Warriors responded with three straight points as Chafeh knocked down a kill sandwiched around an errant serve and an attack gone awry. However, the visitors once again rose to the occasion as Ostello launched three put-aways and joined forces with Brennan on a block to highlight an 8-2 Gator surge that abruptly ended the match.
SF State will have little time to savor its victory as it travels to 25th-ranked Chico State on Saturday for another tough CCAA battle starting at 7 p.m. The Wildcats upset No. 20 Sonoma State on Friday to raise their record to 9-1 overall and 3-0 in league play.
