San Francisco – The SF State Gators came out of the intermission with a comfortable 2-0 lead and were looking to put visiting Cal State Monterey Bay in three. With the Gators leading the third set 20-18 late the Otters made it a match, coming back to force five sets, with the Gators winning a thrilling fifth set 15-11, Friday night at the SF State Gymnasium at the Don Nasser Family Plaza.
The Gators (11-12/9-9 CCAA) received tremendous play throughout the lineup as SF State won the match 25-20, 25-13, 24-26, 20-25, 15-11. Starting the positive momentum early was record setting performance by junior libero
Jessica Nicerio. Nicerio entered Friday's match one dig shy of the all-time career mark at SF State held by former Gator Iris Tolenada who had 1,275. Nicerio picked up her second dig early in the first set and finished the evening with a team-high 28 digs, giving her 1,302 for her career.
The entire back line by the Gators came up huge on the evening.
Krista Forte set a career-high with 18 digs on the evening; she also tallied three service aces on the night, two in back-to-back plays giving the Gators a huge edge in the fifth set.
On the attack the Gators were led by
Jaclyn Clark's match-high 18 kills on 48 swings and
Bria Morgan's 14 kills. Clark started the match on fire, recording seven kills in the opening set, while Morgan provided a bulk of her damage in the second and fourth set.
Melissa Horton,
Jazmine Williams and
Samantha Krakower all finished with nine, eight and six kills respectively. Williams also recorded three total blocks on the evening.
Senior setter
Jacquie Brice had an outstanding game, recording her team-leading 13
th double-double of the night. She finished the match with a match-high 52 assists and 13 digs. The 52 assists is the seventh time this season she's eclipsed the 50 assist plateau.
The Gators raced out to the early 2-0 lead thanks in part to spectacular defensive play. SF State held the Otters (8-15/8-11 CCAA) to a .075 attack percentage in the first two sets, including 14 errors. The Gators meanwhile hit just .173 but also added six aces. Clark led the Gators with nine of her 18 kills in the opening sets.
In the third and fourth sets the Gators let the Otters hang around and ultimately it allowed the visitors to tie the match up at 2-2. In both the middle sets SF State had leads late but could not put the Otters away. In the third frame the Gators had their best set statistically, recording 18 kills and hitting .255. However, CSUMB rallied back both sets hitting .317 and .250 to force a fifth and final set.
In the final set, with the match tied at 3-2 early the Gators got a big spark. First a kill by Clark gave the Gators a 4-2 lead and then Forte tallied back-to-back aces to give a nice four point cushion. Junior middle blocker
Kaileen Mejia provided a huge spark off the bench in the fifth and final set to record three kills and a solo block. The Gators lead by as much as 10-3, but once again the Otters would rally back, cutting the Gators lead to two, 13-11 late. A kill by Clark and an attack error by Cal State Monterey Bay would seal the set and the match for the Gators 15-11.
SF State returns to action tomorrow night, when the Gators host Bay Area rival Cal State East Bay. The match is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start.
Complete Box Score (HTML)--
Gator Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The department offers 12 intercollegiate sports programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Women's Track & Field, Women's Volleyball and Men's Wrestling.Gator Athletics places great emphasis on academic performance as well as athletic achievement. The program offers student athletes the opportunity to reach their educational goals, as well pursue meaningful athletic accomplishments. For more information, visit SF State Athletics' website, Twitter and Facebook pages.
