SAN FRANCISCO – The No. 5 seeded SF State women's volleyball team begins post season play on Thursday when they take on fourth seed Cal Poly Pomona at noon at Rimac Arena in La Jolla. If the Gators advance they will play the winner of Chico State/Sonoma State on Friday at 5:00 p.m.
SF State enters the tournament on a hot-streak. The Gators have won four of their last five matches, including three-straight, all by 3-0 sweeps. The Gators finished the year 14-13 and were 12-8 in the CCAA, marking the first time since SF State joined the CCAA that the Gators have posted back-to-back winning seasons in conference play.
As a team, the Gators average 12.7 kills per set and are hitting .178, their opponents are averaging 12.8 kills per set and hitting .192. Since the calendar changed to November the Gators are even better, averaging 14.8 kills per set and hitting .215. While limiting their opponents to a .170 attack percentage.
Leading the team in kills is senior outside hitter
Jaclyn Clark. Clark has 365 kills on the year which is fifth in the CCAA and a new career-high for Clark. In the month of November, Clark has been even better, averaging 5.62 kills per set while hitting .266.
Junior outside hitter
Taylor Brownlee is second on the team with 286 kills. She is averaging 3.11 kills per set on the year and hitting .178. As a team, the Gators balanced attack has five players with over 140 kills on the year.
Sophomore setter
Catherine Feathers is fifth in the CCAA with 863 assists on the year, she is averaging 9.48 assists per set and runs the potent Gator attack that is currently 10
th in the nation in attacks per set. Feathers also boasts 2.67 digs per set and has a new career-high with 26 service aces.
Jessica Nicerio leads a very talented group of back row defenders. The senior libero is averaging 4.89 digs per set for the year, with a team-leading 29 aces. Fellow defensive specialists
Arianna Cruz and
Krista Forte have also played a big role in the Gators defense that ranks 40
th in the country in digs per set.
Thursday's opponent Cal Poly Pomona enters this week with a 16-12 record overall and finished conference play which was good enough for fourth place. As a team, they are averaging 13.3 kills per set and hitting .9191 while their opponents are averaging 12.4 kills per set and also hitting .191.
The Broncos have three players averaging better than 2.81 kills per set, leading the team in kills with 301 is Deanna Blaine. Second on the team is Nicoletta Stroke who has 260 kills followed by Kristen Hamlin who has 256. In the two matches played between these two teams in the regular season, Hamlin and Blaine combined for 60 kills, with Hamlin tallying 32.
Should the Gators advance, they will face the winner of No. 8 Chico State against No. 1 Sonoma State. The Wildcats enter the tournament with an overall record of 17-13 and finished conference play 9-11. The Wildcats are reeling however, having lost seven of their last 10.
Sonoma State on the other hand could not be hotter, having won 19 matches in a row. The Seawolves are 23-3 overall and are 19-1 in the CCAA. They have not lost a set since the third set against Cal State L.A. on Oct. 21, a streak of 25 consecutive sets won.
Live stats and video will be available for every match and can be accessed on the volleyball schedule page. For in game updates be sure to follow the Gators on twitter
@SFState_Gators.
Gators Overall StatsCCAA Tournament Central Tournament Bracket--
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.
