SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco State women's volleyball team played two competitive matches on Friday afternoon, but ultimately could not come away with the desired result. The Gators fell to visiting Chaminade in four sets (25-22, 21-25, 23-25, 23-25) before losing to Fresno Pacific in straight-sets in the finale of day two of the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase.
Against Fresno Pacific (2-0) the Gators fell 17-25, 17-25, and 25-27. SF State (1-6) hit .165 for the match tallying 32 kills on 103 swings with 15 attack errors. In the third and final set the Gators offense was sharp, hitting .250 with 14 kills on 40 swings with just four attack errors.
Offensively, SF State was led by
Christine Johnson who came alive in the later sets. She finished the evening with 10 kills on 24 swings, while picking up an ace and five digs.
Haley Halpert and
Lauren Williams also chipped in six kills apiece.
Linda Aerne had 27 assists, five digs with a service ace. While
Emily Johns led the Gators with 14 digs.
The first set belonged to the Sunbirds who jumped out to an early lead and would not relinquish it. FPU hit .300 in the set, recording 16 kills to the Gators nine.
In the second set the Gators attempted to flip the script on FPU, going out front early. However, a 5-0 run by the Sunbirds when trailing 10-7 gave them a 12-10 lead and forced a Gator timeout. Out of the break Fresno Pacific kept up the pressure, winning the set 25-17.
In the finale, the Gators battled hard. SF State outhit the Sunbirds and even had match point, up 25-24. The final point proved to be elusive for the Gators, and Fresno Pacific rallied back to win the set and the match 27-25.
In Friday's opener against Chaminade, SF State looked like a completely different team than the squad that faced the Silver Swords last weekend in Hawaii. The Gators took the opening set on the strength of stellar defense. The Gators held Chaminade to a .067 attack percentage in the opening frame, their lowest of the match, en-route to a 25-22 win.
In the second set the Gators looked strong, both Henderson and Johnson were getting it done on the attack as Aerne fed the Gators hitters. Chaminade responded in kind, throwing down 15 kills of their own, while hitting .229, and powered their way to a 25-21 win.
The third and fourth set was a tight contest. In the third set the Gators owned a four point lead late, but the Swords rallied back to win the set 25-23.
Against Chaminade, Halpert had perhaps her best performance as a Gator. She finished with a career-high 15 kills while hitting .351. Aerne added 41 assists and was a dig shy of her first career double-double.
The Gators return to action tomorrow when they close out the tournament taking on Concordia (Ore.) at 5:00 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.
