SAN FRANCISCO – The SF State women's volleyball team played furious defense and was racking up the service aces, unfortunately, for the second time this season, Cal Poly Pomona got the better of the Gators in a very tight, four-set loss Friday evening, 23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 24-26.
The Gators recorded 82 digs on the night, the seventh time this year they have tallied 80 digs or more as a team. Four players finished the night with 10 or more digs. On the serve, the Gators were deadly recording 11 aces, five by senior
Arianna Cruz, setting a new career-high.
Jessica Nicerio led the Gators in digs, she finished the night with 20. Also tallying double-digits in digs was
Krista Forte who finished the night with 14.
Jaclyn Clark tallied a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs.
Catherine Feathers was brilliant this evening, finishing the night with 41 assists, two aces, and 13 digs.
Taylor Brownlee led the Gators with 13 kills on the night, she also recorded six digs.
Chantelle Williams continues to impress in her freshman campaign. She finished third on the team with 11 kills on the evening. Sophomore middle blocker
Christine Johnson had eight kills with two service aces and four total blocks.
In the opening set the Gators jumped out to an early lead, they held onto that lead until midway through the set when out of a Bronco's timeout, CPP went on a 5-1 run to take the lead 17-15. Cal Poly Pomona would hold onto that lead throughout the remainder of the set winning the first frame 25-23. In that set the Gators hit .174 and was led by Brownlee's four kills. The Broncos were just a little bit sharper in the set, hitting .255 with three players tallying three or more kills.
In the second set the tight play continued. The Gators boasted an 11-10 lead, but then a kill by Johnson, a solo block by Clark, and a service ace by Cruz gave SF State some breathing room, going up 14-10. With the Gators up five, 15-10, CPP closed the deficit, going on a 5-1 run, forcing a Gator timeout. SF State went on a late run of their own, eventually taking the lead back at 22-21. The Broncos would not relinquish the lead for long, eventually taking the set 25-22.
In the third set, The Gators jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, a pair of Cruz ace's prompted the Broncos to use a timeout early. The tight play continued, however so did the deadly serving by Cruz, her third ace of the set gave the Gators an 18-12 lead. A late rally by the Broncos was quelled by a clutch kill by Brownlee giving the Gators set point, 24-22. Clark the set away on her fifth kill of the frame, a blast up the middle. Defensively, the Gators were simply unbelievable in the third frame. The backrow trio was relentless digging balls that seemed destined to down for kills.
In the final set the Gators attack struggled, SF State hit .024, tallying just nine kills while hitting into eight attack errors. However, the Broncos were not able to take advantage as they hit a match-low .071, hitting into 10 attack errors thanks in part to the Gators defense. The final set featured seven ties and two lead changes, with most of that coming in the final points. The Gators tied the set at 24-all but that was it as the Broncos scored two quick points to take the set and the match 26-24.
SF State returns to action tomorrow night when they host Cal State Monterey Bay. First serve is slated for 7:00 p.m.
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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.
