SAN DIEGO, California - The San Francisco State volleyball team bounced back on Saturday to defeat Seattle Pacific, 3-1, to split on the final day of the Seaside Invitational.
The Gators fell in match one of the day to Concordia (Calif.), 3-2 (15-25, 12-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-7), before topping the Falcons, 3-1 (17-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-12).
MATCH ONE
- The Gators (2-2) outhit (0.248 to 0.222) the Eagles (2-2) and held a 56-45 kill advantage.
- SF State limited the Eagles to a -.043 hitting percentage in the first set while the Gators recorded a .375 clip. Concordia also had just four kills while Drew Morris had five herself in the first frame.
- The strong hitting continued in the second as SF State recorded a .407 percentage with 14 hills and just three errors.
- Morris accumulated 17 kills and 14 digs to lead all players. Taylor Garcia had 13 digs and three aces. Jessica Haynie and Jade Gillespie each added four aces.
Tied up 3-3, Jensen made a great play at the net to set up Barr to powered it down across the court for the one-point lead early on. The Gators benefited from multiple Eagle errors, and a bad set put SF State up 10-8. Tied up 13-13, Barr and Morris went back-to-back followed by another Morris swing as SF State now lead by three and the Eagles called a timeout. Three consecutive Concordia errors gave the Gators a six-point advantage and Sophie Anderson joined the scoring party to make it a 20-13 lead. Haynie's third kill of the frame sealed the 25-15 set one win.
Strong front play carried over to the second as the Gators came out to a 4-1 lead. Jensen put the Purple and Gold up 9-6 with a sneaky kill and then assisted on Johnson's swing as the Gators now lead by four. Taylor Garcia's ace prompted another Eagle timeout as they found themselves down by five. Jade Gillespie's ace gave the Gators a commanding 20-10 lead, and a big block by Billings and Johnson gave SF State five straight on the scoreboard. Another Gillespie ace gave SF State set point, and Barr ended it with a swing to the back line for the 25-12 win.
The Gators stormed to a 6-2 lead in the third following a series of kills and an ace by Haynie. The Eagles finally found their offensive rhythm to tie it at 11-all and score three-straight to go up 17-14. A pair of errors coupled with a Haynie swing brought the Gators back. The Eagles pulled ahead 23-18 after a 4-0 run, and the Purple and Gold cut it to one after another Haynie ace, but the Eagle were able to stay alive with an ace of their own to take the third.
Billings put the Gators up two with a kill to the sideline off an assist from Jensen, one of her 44 of the contest. An Eagle ace put them up 9-7, but the Gators were able to bounce back and go back up by one on Garcia's ace. Concordia gathered some momentum to score the next six points and then rattle off four more to go up 19-11. The back-and-forth continued with SF State cutting it to 22-16, but the Eagles escaped with the to force a deciding fifth.
Both sides were tied up 3-3 before the Eagles ran away with the final frame, rattling off six consecutive points to go up 12-5. Morris ended the run with her 17th kill of the contest but the deficit was too much to overcome as the Eagles completed the comeback, 15-7.
MATCH TWO
- The Gators powered in ten aces, which are the most in the last eight contests. Gillespie led the way with a career-high three while Haynie and Garcia each had two.
- Garcia notched a season-best 17 digs, Morris led the way with 16 kills, Haynie had a season-best ten and Cassandra Fong added 25 assists.
- Haynie also hit 0.476, which was the best on the court (min. 15 attempts).
- SF State held Seattle Pacific to a .246, and have not allowed an opponent to hit above .250 all season
The Falcons (1-3) stormed out of the gate to utilize a 7-0 run to go up 13-5 in the first. Billings' first kill of the game followed by Haynie's ace cut it to five. SF State would make it a five-point game at 20-15 after a Barr swing and a Falcon error, but Seattle Pacific closed out the set with kills by Jaeden Hooker and Lindsey Lambert to take set one.
The Gators found themselves down 8-4 in the second set but SF State utilized a 21-4 momentum swing to bounce back in the match. Morris and Garcia had aces and Johnson powered in a kill to go up 12-9. A full set two recap will be updated later.
The Gators came out strong in the third with four-straight points as Dougherty, Billings and Morris added to the scoreboard and SF State led 7-2. Garcia's ace widened the lead to 15-6 and SF State continued to roll with a 5-2 run as they lead 20-8. The Falcons then rattled off ten consecutive points to narrow it to two. SF State was able to hold off the Falcons as Morris went back-to-back, Gillespie added an ace and a Falcon error sealed the 25-21 win.
SF State completed the comeback in the fourth, and came out ahead 4-0 to cap off a 7-0 run that started in the third. Barr and Morris' strong play continued as they put their team up 9-2. The seven-point cushion was maintained throughout until the Gators got four straight capped off by a Gillespie ace to go up double digits. The Purple and Gold ended the contest with another four-point run, with Danielle Ryan sealing the win off an assist from Fong.
The Gators return to The Swamp to host the D2 West Region Showcase. Live stats and a stream will be provided.
