SAN FRANCISCO – Entering the 2015 season the excitement is off the charts for the SF State volleyball team. The Gators, under third year head coach
Jill Muhe, officially begin their season on Friday, traveling to San Diego to play four matches in the Seaside Invitational hosted by Point Loma.
The Gators are looking to build on last year's strong season that saw SF State finish with a winning record in the conference for just the third time since the Gators joined the CCAA in 1998. Helping the Gators to build on that strong finish is the return of eight letter winners from last year's squad, as well as the addition of six very talented players, providing coach Muhe with her deepest bench in her tenure.
Leading the Gators will be seniors
Jaclyn Clark,
Jessica Nicerio and
Arianna Cruz. Clark, a 2014 Second Team All-CCAA honoree led the Gators with 330 kills, averaging 3.14 kills per set. She currently sits 10
th all-time with 729 career kills. Nicerio is the all-time leader in career digs at SF State with 1,372. In 2014, she finished fourth in the conference with 464 digs. Cruz had a breakout year in her junior campaign, she played in 104 sets that was tied for second most on the team and finished with a career-high 262 digs.
The Gators begin this busy weekend playing two matches on Friday, before wrapping up the weekend with a twin billing on Saturday. Friday begins with an 8:30 a.m. match against Concordia before taking on Regis at 1:00 p.m.
Concordia was picked to finish fifth in the PacWest preseason poll. The first-year member of the NCAA Division II finished last season with a 34-4 record in their final year at the NAIA level. Regis is coming off their third-straight year qualifying for the NCAA Division II National Tournament. The Rangers finished 2014 with a 19-10 record and was picked to finish fourth in the RMAC in the preseason poll.
On Saturday, the Gators will do battle again, taking on No. 10 Colorado Mesa at 8:30 a.m. before completing their tournament slate against host Point Loma at 1:00 p.m. The Mavericks were picked to finish third in the RMAC preseason poll after going 29-4 in 2014. Tournament host Point Loma was picked to finish third in the Pac-West after going 19-9 in 2014.
Live stats and video will be available for all four matches this weekend. For in game updates, be sure to follow the Gators on twitter
@SFStateGators.
2015 Schedule2015 RosterLive Stats/Video--
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.
