ROHNERT PARK, CALIF. - On Tuesday November 9th, the Sonoma State women's volleyball team played host to the #3 ranked team in the country, Cal state San Bernardino. The contest would be played as a makeup match from the originally scheduled match back on October 21st. After suffering back-to-back losses two weekends ago, head coach Bear Grassl and his group willed their way to two road victories last weekend over Stanislaus State and conference rival Chico State to bring their CCAA record to 9-6. The Seawolves have a three game stretch here at SSU to finish off regular season play and it began tonight with a tough matchup against the 20-3 Coyotes of San Bernardino. 

In the match's first set, both teams would sit dead even at 5 before the Coyotes went on a 7-1 scoring run to take control of the first set. Kills by Emily Eaton and Jenn Trephan helped to bring the set to within four but San Bernardino would eventually pull away to take the first set 25-17. Grassl and his group looked to hit the reset button in set two and challenge the #3 ranked Coyotes. The Seawolves would do just that as they got the crowd into the game with 6-0 run to start the second set. A kill by Jessie Hobbs and three aces from Jenn Trephan would propel SSU to a 6-0 lead right out the gate. After San Bernardino grabbed the first point to make it 6-1, Sonoma State put their foot back on the gas and scored the next three points on kills from Emily Eaton and Kiana Richardson. After holding off a late run from the Coyotes, the Seawolves would eventually take the second set 25-20 and tie the match at 1 a piece. 

The third set would be a set of runs for both teams as SSU once again got out to a 6-1 lead. Eaton would record two kills during the 6-point stretch. The Coyotes would answer with 6 straight points of their own to retake the set lead 7-6. With the score later knotted at nine, the Seawolves would record three straight points with an ace from Brynna Slayton and a kill from Emily Hernandez. Down two points though, San Bernardino would go on a tear and record 13 of the last 16 points to take the third set 25-17. With the momentum starting to shift back to the Coyotes, Grassl and his team would need to regroup and look to force a fifth set to stay alive in the match. 

In one of the most bizarre series of events, SSU would go on yet ANOTHER 6 point scoring run to start the fourth set and take an early 6-1 lead. After the score would settle with the Seawolves up 9-4, they would go on another scoring run and record 6 straight points again to take a 13-4 lead. The Coyotes would answer as you would expect from the #3 ranked team in the country as they recorded 7 of the next 8 points to come within three points. As the set was coming down to the final points, both teams would begin to exchange points making for a climatic finish. Kills from Amy Trephan and an ace from Riley Beyma would ignite the crowd and give the Seawolves a 23-20 lead. Both teams would exchange the next four points allowing SSU to take the fourth set 25-22 on a kill from senior Emily Eaton and send the match to a fifth and final set!

With the match on the line, both teams would get out to a more traditional start as they exchanged points all the way to a 6-6 tie. A 3-0 scoring run on kills from Emily Eaton and Amy Trephan would give the Seawolves a 10-9 lead. Once again both teams would trade points as the set came to a 14-14 tie, forcing the set to be played beyond the predesignated 15-point limit. Despite a herculean effort from head coach Bear Grassl and his team, the Coyotes would take the next two points of the set and win the match 3 sets to 2. The Seawolves played arguably one of their best matches of the season as they battled through the ups and downs and saw tremendous growth as a team. Libero Riley Beyma was an absolute warrior in the middle of the court for SSU as she recorded a team high 17 digs in the contest. Kiana Richardson was also a terrific counterpart to Emily Eaton as she recorded a season high 19 kills in the match , good for second most on the night behind teammate Eaton who finished with 20. Brynna Slayton and Jenn Trephan also combined for 51 assists on the night. Trephan's 34 assists in the contest would lead her team and be good for second most on the season.    

The Seawolves will finish out the 2021 regular season at home this week as they take on Cal State LA this Thursday at 7:00 pm. Sonoma State falls to 9-7 in conference but still have their eyes set on a CCAA Tournament appearance for the second straight season. Be sure to follow your Seawolves on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get all the latest SSU athletics updates and information. @SonomaSeawolves #NomaNation