Women's Volleyball | 10/9/2014 2:42:00 PM

San Francisco – The SF State volleyball team begins a crucial home stand this weekend, as the Gators will play the next four matches at the friendly confines of the SF State Gymnasium at the Don Nasser Family Plaza.  The Gators will take on Chico State on Friday at 7:00 p.m. before hosting Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday also at 7:00 p.m.  Saturday's match against the Warriors is the annual Dig For a Cure match cosponsored by the CCAA in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Gators enter this weekend with a 6-8 record and are 4-5 in the CCAA which is tied for seventh, one game behind sixth place Chico State.  As a team, the Gators are one of the top teams in the nation on the attack.  They rank 47^th in the nation in kills per set, averaging 13.3 kps and are 67^th in the nation in hitting percentage, hitting .216 as a squad. 

The Gators are fourth in the conference in kills per set and fifth in total kills despite only having one player in the top-10 in total kills.  That speaks to the impressive balance the Gators attack unleashes on their opponents. SF State has five players averaging better than 2.00 kills per set; they are just one of two teams in the conference to boast that type of balance.  Leading the team is junior Jaclyn Clark who has 151 kills which is 10^th in the conference. 

Running the Gators potent attack is senior setter Jacquie Brice who is 38^th in the nation in assists per set, averaging 10.42 assists per set which ranks second in the CCAA.  Last weekend, Brice moved into sixth all-time in career assists, she now has 1,697 passing Jennifer Adam's (1986-87) for sixth place and is now 56 assists shy of moving into a tie for fifth place all time with Heather Tyrell (1991-92).

Defensively, the Gators average 16.23 digs per set and have five players averaging better than 2.00 digs per set. Leading the team is junior libero Jessica Nicerio who is fourth in the conference in digs per set at 4.48 and third in total digs with 233.  Nicerio currently ranks fourth all-time in career digs with 1,141 and is four shy of tying Pam Rigor (1994-97) for third all-time.  Senior middle blocker Jazmine Williams boasts 42 blocks on the season, giving her 220 total blocks for her career which is eighth all-time, her 64 career solo blocks is sixth all-time at SF State.

The Wildcats enter Friday's match with a 7-6 overall record and are 5-4 in conference play.  Chico State has lost three of their last five matches and is 2-4 on the road.  Last weekend the Wildcats went 1-1 defeating Cal State Dominguez Hills in straight-sets before falling to Cal State L.A. in five sets.  As a team, Chico State averages 13.46 kills per set and hits .218 as a team.  Their opponents average 12.22 kills per set and sport a .213 attack percentage.  Leading the team on the attack is Shannon Boling who has 153 kills on the year and averages 3.73 kills per set.

Cal State Dominguez Hills is 1-12 on the season and is 1-8 in the CCAA.  They enter this weekend's matches riding a five match losing streak.  Last weekend the Warriors went 0-2 with a straight-sets loss to Cal State L.A. and a five set loss at the hands of Cal State Dominguez Hills.  As a team, the Warriors average 11.09 kills per set and are hitting .156 as a team.  Their opponents are average 13.62 kills per set and are hitting .250.  Leading the Warriors on the attack is Blair Ehrlich who has 120 kills on the year, averaging 2.67 kills per set.

Both matches will feature live stats and live video which can be accessed on the volleyball schedule page.  Friday's match against Chico State will be broadcast live by the SF State BECA department, a link to their broadcast can be found at beca.sfsu.edu. 

For in match updates be sure to follow the Gators on twitter @SFState_WVB and for updates on all of SF State's 11 athletic programs be sure to follow the Gators at @SFStateGators.