BELMONT, Calif. — The San Francisco State volleyball team rolled to a pair of victories in its season opener at the NorCal Volleyball Classic, sweeping Pacific Union in three (25-15, 25-15, 25-18) before defeating Notre Dame de Namur in straight sets (25-21, 25-15, 25-17).

It is the second-straight season the Golden Gators have opened up the year 2-0. Match two was San Francisco State's seventh-straight win over the Argonauts as well as their third consecutive road win against Notre Dame de Namur.

Game One
 

Notables

 

• San Francisco State held Pacific union to a .233 hitting mark in set one and .146 overall, which is the lowest allowed since 2016. The Gators would accumulate a .392 attaching percentage, which is the seventh-highest in program history.
• Brenna Dougherty logged a career-high three service aces. Drew Morris led all players with 11 kills, and hit a career-high .370 (min. 15 attempts).
• Vanessa Ditz logged 18 digs. Newcomers Jessica Haynie (eight kills) and Payton Jensen (35 assists) each made an impact in their first match as Gators.
• The Gators held the 7-0 block advantage, with Marlena Billings leading the way with three block assists and Haynie with a pair of solo blocks.

 

Set One

Tied 7-7, a Pacific Union service error followed by a Morris kill put San Francisco State up by two, and a service ace by Dougherty widened the advantage. The Gators rattled off six-straight points to secure the 25-15 set victory, which started with Jensen's service ace and ended with Olivia Tabron's kill.
 

Set Two

Another six-point streak put the Golden Gators up 9-2 before a Pioneer timeout. Another kill by Morris kept the Gator momentum going to put San Francisco State up by seven. Three-straight kills gave the Purple and Gold a 21-13 advantage, two of which game from Morris and another by Haynie. Tabron wrapped up set two with back-to-back points for another 25-15 set win. 
 

Set Three

Ditz's first service ace of the afternoon made it a 7-4 Gator advantage, and a Haynie ace midway through the set made it 13-7. Freshman Billings closed out the contest with a kill off a dish from Jensen to complete the sweep.
 
Game Two
 

Notables

​​​​​

• Morris recorded 15 kills and 11 digs in match two for her sixth career double-double.
• Bailey Johnson poured in 14 kills and hit .609, which is the fifth-best hitting percentage in program history. Donovan added 11 digs and Ditz notched 17. Jensen logged 42 assists and nine digs.

 

Set One

A kill by Johnson put San Francisco State up 6-3 early on against Notre Dame de Namur. Morris and Haynie continued their strong afternoons with back-to-back kills that put the visitors up 15-11 and prompted an Argonaut timeout. Notre Dame de Namur would surge late to make it a three-point contest at 23-20, however an Argonaut attack error gave San Francisco State set point and Johnson put it away with a booming kill to the back corner for the 25-21 set one win.

Set Two

Trailing 4-2 early, Johnson knocked consecutive kills, and a pair of Argonaut errors gave the Gators a 6-4 advantage. Four-straight points put the Gators up 23-14, which included an ace by Maura Donovan and more kills by Johnson and Morris. The Gators continued to capitalize on the Argonaut miscues with the set ending on an attack error to give San Francisco State the 25-15 decision.
 

Set Three

The Gators came out to a 7-2 lead in the final frame. Notre Dame de Namur narrowed the deficit to two before a pair of attack errors widened the San Francisco State lead once again. Another kill by Morris made it 14-8, and she would later add her 15^th of the match to give the Gators set point. Tabron sent everyone home with her seventh kill of the contest for match point.


Up Next
The Golden Gators host their home opener tomorrow as Holy Names comes to The Swamp at Don Nasser Family Plaza. First serve is at 7 p.m., and live stats and a live stream will be provided.