HONOLULU, HI – The San Francisco State women's volleyball team made their 2016 debut on Thursday evening at St. Andrew's Priory, the Gators battled hard in the opening set, but ultimately fell to the Sharks in straight-sets 22-25, 12-25, and 13-25 to lose 3-0 to begin the Hawaii Invitational.

The Gators (0-1) were led by sophomore outside hitter Haley Halpert who had a career-high eight kills on 25 swings, with a dig and a block assist in her first career start.  Junior outside hitter Christine Johnson was second don the team with five kills and five digs.

Senior setter Linda Aerne had a solid performance for the SF State.  She finished the evening with 12 assists, three aces and four digs.  Fellow senior Malia Muin recorded eight assists, five digs and an ace in her first action at the setter position.

In the opening period the Gators attack had their best frame, recording 10 kills on 38 swings for a .184 attack percentage.  Hawaii Pacific (1-1) countered by hitting .237 in the set, recording a match-high 19 kills in the frame, going on to win 25-22.

In the second and third set the Sharks hit a collective .462 and .391, they hit .355 on the evening.  Meanwhile the Gators offense mustered attack percentages of .071 and -.148 in the second and third set.  SF State hit into 17 errors on the evening.

Five Gators made their debut Thursday night, sophomore middle blocker Lauren Williams recorded a kill and a block assists.  Fellow middle Abby Griffith tallied a pair of kills and three block assists.

Freshman outside hitter Danielle Ryan had four kills on 15 swings, while tallying a dig and two block assists.  Fellow freshman Emily Johns led the Gators with 10 digs and an ace.

SF State returns to action tomorrow night when they take on BYU-Hawaii at 7:00 p.m. HST at the Cannon Activities Center.  Live stats and video will be available for the match and can be accessed on the volleyball schedule page.

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About San Francisco State Athletics
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.