Box Score

CARSON, Calif. – For the second straight night, the front-line of Megan Johnson, Meagan Wright and Kelly Ostello supplied much of the offense for the San Francisco State women's volleyball team in a gritty 3-1 victory over a vastly improved Cal State Dominguez Hills squad (25-15, 20-25, 29-27, 25-23) on Saturday inside the Torodome.
 
The Gator trio combined for 53 of the team's 68 kills to help the Purple and Gold raise its record to 10-3 on the season and 5-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, while the Toros slip to 6-8 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
 
Johnson hit .364 for the match, tying a career-high with 24 kills, while scooping up 15 digs for her second consecutive double-double and fifth of the year.  In addition, Wright displayed identical efficiency, finishing with a .364 clip on 15 put-aways, while Ostello knocked home 14 winners of her own.
 
Likewise, setter Iris Tolenada turned another elite performance, dishing out a season-best 57 assists to go along with 16 digs for her seventh double-double of the year, while Jessica Nicerio (22) and Jaclyn Clark (20) each surpassed the 20-dig plateau to lead the defense.
 
Despite trailing in blocks 13.5-5.0, SF State defeated CSUDH for the ninth straight time after maintaining a 68-50 advantage in kills, a 90-75 spread in digs and a 7-2 edge in service aces, including two apiece by Wright, Clark and Nicerio.
 
Conversely, the Toros were paced by Whitney Lee and Corissa Santos, who each finished with nine kills and combined for 12 block assists, while Dana Brown nearly pulled off a rare triple double-double with seven put-aways, 36 assists and 15 digs.

SF State found itself on the wrong side of an 8-7 score in the opening set until the troika of Johnson, Ostello and Wright launched three kills apiece during an impressive 18-7 blitz to close out the frame. The Gators posted their best hitting percentage of the night at .309, while limiting CSUDH to a .054 clip.
 
SF State seemed poised to pull away in the second stanza as well after building a 16-12 cushion on consecutive non-returnables by Wright and Melissa Horton.  However, two kills each by Santos and Azieanna Smith, along with a Hillary Domecus service ace highlighted a 10-2 spurt that put the Toros in front for good at 22-18.  The Gators promptly cut the margin in half following back-to-back put-aways by Kelsie Brennan and Clark, but could draw no closer as CSUDH received a pair of kills from Brown sandwiched around a combined block by Smith and Delea Pursel for the clinching points.
 
With the match knotted at one set apiece, the third frame evolved into a nail-biter as the two sides combined for 16 ties and 11 lead changes after SF State rallied from a 10-4 deficit with six straight points, punctuated by a Johnson put-away.  The Purple and Gold staved off a pair of Toro set points down the stretch on kills by Katie Judd and Johnson, respectively, while two Wright attacks found the floor moments later to break a 27-27 deadlock.
 
Set number four was no less thrilling as the host school forged a late 19-17 advantage on a Gator attack error and a Pursel put-away. However, SF State came up big in the clutch as Ostello blasted four kills, while Johnson launched another, and Jazmine Williams added the second of her two solo blocks on the night during a 7-1 outburst that put SF State on the cusp of conquest at 24-20.  But CSUDH would not go down without a fight as it tallied three quick points on a Santos kill, an errant Gator attack and a combined block.  With momentum swinging to the Toros side, Ostello fittingly provided the winning point with her final kill of the night to give the Purple and Gold its second hard-earned victory in as many nights.
 
The Gators, who remain in a four-way tie for first in the CCAA, return to the friendly confines of “The Swamp” next week when they open a five-match homestand beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 3, with a league clash against No. 24 Sonoma State (11-3, 5-1 CCAA).  First serve is slated for 7 p.m.