SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The San Francisco State volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-17) to visiting Chico State in CCAA action on Saturday at the Main Gym at Don Nasser Family Plaza.
SF State (5-9/1-5 CCAA) spotted Chico State (8-8/2-4 CCAA) a 5-0 lead and that set the tone for the night. The Gators pulled to within three but the Wildcats used a 17-8 run to close out the first set. Set two was knotted 8-8 but Chico State built a four-point lead that the Gators couldn't overcome. The Gators avoided giving up any large runs in set three but were unable to put a run of their own together either.
Bailey Johnson led the Gators with 10 kills, followed by eight from
Lauren Williams.
Eden Fukushima dished out 23 assists in the loss.
Jocelyn Rodriguez had 12 digs in the loss.
Chico State was led by Olivia Mediano's 14 kills on .414 hitting. She was nearly unstoppable for the Wildcats and rounded out her night with 16 digs and five service aces.
"We did a good job on Chico State's middles. We knew what they wanted to run and did a good job of containing them. We didn't win the serve and pass battle, and we didn't get enough good passes so we could be in system," said SF State Head Coach
Matt Hoffman. "They had one attacker who had a good night and we weren't able to put much pressure on her because we weren't controlling the ball very well."
Still, the first month of the season has shown improvement for the Gators, who easily eclipsed their win total from last season. The Gators hope to be back at full strength soon. While
Drew Morris returned to the lineup this weekend for the first time since Sept. 8, both
Cassandra Fong and
Emily Johns missed the weekend with injuries of their own.
"We just saw Stanislaus State last night and we'll see them again on Tuesday so we'll be ready to get back on the court against them. Then we have East Bay and Monterey Bay to get ready for," added Hoffman. "We're looking forward to getting back in the gym on Monday and getting better."
The match at Stanislaus State, who the Gators beat 3-2 on Friday, is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3. The Gators head to Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday, Oct. 6 and to Cal State East Bay on Saturday, Oct. 7. SF State returns home on Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. for Dig A Cure Night vs. Humboldt State.
