SAN BERNARDINO - The San Francisco State volleyball team dropped a heartbreaker on Thursday to the No. 25 Cal State Golden Eagles, 3-2 (18-25, 25-19, 26-28, 25-13, 15-12).

The result wraps up a successful 2019 campaign for the Gators (16-11/9-8 CCAA) in which they reached the CCAA Tournament in back-to-back years for the first time since the program was reinstated in 2008. SF State posted top ten results in program history in kills per set, assists, assists per set and aces, as well as the program record for attack percentage at .250. The Gators also had its most wins since 2012 and most home victories in the last 20 years. 

By The Numbers

• Bailey Johnson wrapped up her Gator legacy ranking second all time in career hitting percentage with a .326 and recorded the second-highest attack mark in a season in program history with a .360
• Drew Morris already ranks eighth all time in career attack attempts at 2,519, and Payton Jensen is currently fifth in career assists with 1,916 and has the ninth-most assists in a season with 1,024.
• Taylor Garcia's 436 digs are the sixth-most in a season.
• Morris led the way with 14 kills and 18 digs for her 11th double-double of the year and fourth straight. Jessica Haynie had 13 kills and Johnson added 12.
• Jensen had 39 assists and four aces to give her 47 on the year, tied for the seventh-most in a season in Gator history. 

Set One

A 5-0 run featuring three aces by Jensen put the Gators up 6-4 early. Johnson got her first of the contest off the Los Angeles block attempt, and she answered again with a big swing off a dish from Jensen to make it 16-11. SF State continued its strong net play as Morris and Trinity Barr added to the score. Haynie's fourth of the day win it for SF State as the took set one, 25-18.

Haynie seals the 25-18 set-one win with her 4th kill of the day! #chompcity pic.twitter.com/RFg9Xv48Z6

— SF State Volleyball (@SFState_VB) November 21, 2019

Set Two

The Golden Eagles bounced back in the second with a 6-2 lead. A booming Barr kill leveled it at 10-10, and a Haynie ace followed by a Golden Eagle attack error put the Gator sup 15-14. A 5-1 run capped off by a Mickayla Sherman kill that dropped right in front of the diving Haynie made it 19-16. Consecutive Los Angeles errors cut it to two before Sherman regained the three-point lead with her fourth. The Golden Eagles continued to roll as they leveled the match scoring four of the final five points for the 25-19 win. 

Set Three

Jensen's kill off an assist from Jade Gillespie put SF State on the board in the third, and Haynie followed with her sixth of the day off Jensen's 1,000th assist of the year. Another Golden Eagle miscue put SF State up three, and the 4-1 run continued with a kill by Gillespie as they went up 16-12 and another 4-1 run made it 20-15 as the Gators looked to regain the match lead. Los Angeles tied it, 23-23, however the Purple and Gold benefited from a ball handling error and a sneaky kill by Jensen to take set three, 28-26.

And we take set 3, 28-26! pic.twitter.com/5YjnLonBiJ

— SF State Volleyball (@SFState_VB) November 22, 2019

Set Four

The Golden Eagles stormed to am 8-3 lead in the fourth and counted to roll with a nine-point advantage midway through the frame. Johnson ended the run and Jensen added an ace that cut it to 16-9. Los Angeles ended the set with four-straight points as they forced a fifth set. 

Set Five

The fifth was a close one as both sides came out tied, 5-5. A pair of attack errors put the Gators up, 7-6, but the Golden Eagles quickly went up by three on a 4-0 run before Morris dropped one in  that made it 11-9. Morris would add another that narrowed it to one, 13-12, but the powerful Golden Eagle offense got the two points they needed, both by Daisy Portillo, to advance in the tournament.