SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco State volleyball team defeated the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds, 3-1 (26-24, 24-26, 25-9, 25-12), to wrap up West Region Showcase action a perfect 4-0. The win also gives SF State its fifth-straight victory, the longest streak since 2011.
- Trinity Barr tied her season high in kills by the end of the second en route to a 14-kill showing while hitting .560. The freshman was named to the West Region Showcase All-Tournament Team for her performance over the weekend, accumulating 37 hills and a .438 hitting percentage. Joining her on the All-Tournament Team was Drew Morris who had a team-high 45 kills, 13 of which came tonight to go with 14 digs, her third double-double of the year.
- Jessica Haynie added 11 kills and nine digs, Taylor Garcia tied her season best with 21 digs, Payton Jensen handed out 42 assists.
- The 25-9 set-three win is the largest margin of victory this season.
- The 13 aces are the fifth-most since 2003. Five of which came from Payton Jensen, which is also the fifth-most by a Gator since 2003.
A Jade Gillespie ace, one of three she had in the match, tied it up 5-5, and Jensen tied it 7-7 with her first kill of the day off an assist from Haynie. The Gators grabbed a 15-10 lead as part of a 5-0 run in which Barr recorded a kill and four Sunbird errors widened the advantage. SF State found their rhythm with Morris dropping in a kill in front of the Fresno Pacific back line and Bailey Johnson and Morris teaming up for a block that extended the lead to 19-13 and prompt another visitor timeout. Consecutive kills by Morris and Barr gave SF State set point, but the Sunbirds answered to tie it at 24-all. Barr added to the scoreboard again with another booming swing, her sixth of the set, and Jensen ended it 26-24 off a dish from Morris.
Tied three-all, Johnson gave the hosts a one-point lead then posted a big block alongside Jensen and followed with her fourth swing of the match for the 6-3 advantage. After the timeout, Gillespie kept it going with another ace before Fresno Pacific stopped the run with a kill by Miska Legatova. A four-point streak by Fresno Pacific cut into the Gator lead, 13-12, but Barr continued her lights-out night with another powerful kill to the feet of the Sunbirds. Brenna Dougherty's ace made it 20-16. A kill and an ace tied it up 22-all, and the visitors once again tied it 24-all. Back-to-back aces by Sierra LeBeau won it for Fresno Pacific, 26-24, to level the match.
Three aces by Jensen guided the Gators to a quick 6-0 lead in the third. Johnson sparked an 8-0 run that put SF State up 17-3 that also featured six Fresno Pacific errors. Morris extended the lead to 18-4 with a cross-court kill, and the Gators would score the final five points, featuring kills by Haynie and Billings, and a pair of aces by Jensen for the 25-9 win.
A Johnson and Morris block put the hosts up 4-2 as SF State began to run away with their fifth-straight win. Consecutive Haynie kills off assists from Jensen made it a five-point lead, and Barr's 14th point put the Purple and Gold up 12-7. Garcia recorded an ace, and two more Morris swings gave the hosts a double-digit lead, 19-9. The run continued with Gillespie nipping the line with her third ace and a 13-point lead. A Sunbird service error capped off the contest for the 25-12 Gator win.
The Gators continue the homestand on Tuesday, September 17 at 7 p.m. against Holy Names. Live stats and a stream will be provided.
