SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco State women's volleyball team looked to put a disappointing 2016 season in the rearview mirror, and did that on the very first match.  The Gators emphatically defeated visiting Dominican 3-1 (25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22) to open the Route 92 Showdown on the Gators home floor.
 
The Gators (1-0) attack looked particularly impressive on the evening, averaging 14.25 kills per set, while hitting .237.  Middle blocker Lauren Williams was a monster up the middle, recording a career-high 17 kills on 21 swings with one error for an astounding .762 attack percentage.  The junior's .762 clip set a single-match program record, last set by Jazmine Williams in 2012.

Joining Williams with double-digit kills was freshman Drew Morris who tallied 15 kills on 48 swings.  Morris also had 11 digs for her first career double-double in her Gator debut.
 
Also having a strong debut for SF State on Thursday evening was junior setter Eden Fukushima.  Fukushima dished out a match-high 45 assists on the evening, while recording nine digs.  Freshman outside hitter Brenna Dougherty also had a solid debut, recording nine kills on 45 swings with two service aces and nine digs.  Libero Jocelyn Rodriguez also had a strong debut, recording a match-high 25 digs, with three service aces.
 
Dominican (0-1) recorded 50 kills on the evening and had two players record double-digit kill totals.  They were led by Aimee Steinwand who had 14 kills on the evening.  As a team, the Penguins hit just .181, hitting into 23 errors. 
 
In the opening set, the Gators attack was hard to stop.  SF State recorded 17 kills, while hitting .308.  Williams and Morris both chipped in five kills apiece, while B. Johnson added four.  Defensively, the Gators did just enough, recording 17 digs and holding the Penguins to a .250 attack percentage.
 
The second set featured more back and forth play, with SF State pulling away late to win the set 25-18, to go into the intermission up 2-0.  Williams was a perfect 4-for-4 in the kills department, while senior Christine Johnson tallied two of her six kills in the frame.
 
In the third set, the Penguins jumped out to an early 6-1 and never looked back.  The Gators made run late, cutting the Dominican advantage to one at 24-23, but Dominican was able to force a fourth and final set with a kill to take the frame 25-23.
 
In the fourth set, SF State's crisp attack returned.  After hitting .159 in the third set, the Gators limited their errors and hit .244.  Dougherty came on strong at the end, finishing the set with five of her nine kills. But it was the freshman Morris who put the match on ice with an emphatic kill down the line to give SF State the set 25-22.
 
The Gators return to action tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Belmont, California, to take on tournament host Notre Dame de Namur at 1 p.m.