BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Sonoma State volleyball team started the year off strong with a 3-1 victory over Simon Fraser in the season opener before falling to tournament host Western Washington in the nightcap. The Seawolves put on a serving display in the first match, racking up 17 aces, the most in a single match since 2004.
SSU dropped the opening set of the first match to Simon Fraser despite a 10-7 kill advantage. The Seawolves led 8-5 early but SFU answered with a 10-3 run and led the rest of the way, finishing it off at 25-17.
The second set was back-and-forth with each team leading several times early on. Simon Fraser looked to be on their way to a 2-0 margin, leading 20-16 but Sonoma came storming back. SSU scored the next three before SFU notched a point to make it 21-19. From there it was all Seawolves, scoring the next six points to take the set 25-21.
Jen Trephan got the run started with a kill and
Kiana Richardson delivered back-to-back aces to even the match at 1-1.
Sonoma continued their strong serving in the third, racking up seven aces in the set.
Brynna Slayton recorded three while
Angel Gamboa and Richardson added two apiece. The Seawolves jumped out to a 6-2 lead on four straight kills and then two aces. SFU responded and took a 7-6 advantage before the teams traded points with Sonoma leading 11-10. The Seawolves took over from there, ripping off an 8-1 run thanks to three aces from Slayton. They would close out the set 25-14 with five of the last six points on kills from Trephan and aces from Gamboa.
The Seawolves finished the match in the fourth 25-21 to pick up their first win of the season. Simon Fraser jumped out early, leading 12-4 and 17-10 before SSU flipped the set. Sonoma State used eight straight points to take their first lead of the fourth at 18-17. Slayton picked up a pair of aces while Trephan and
Leilani Hallman added a kill and a block each. With the set tied at 19-19 the Seawolves won the next four points, using a kill by Slayton and another ace by Gamboa to lead 23-19.
Jaden Krist gave SSU match point with a solo block and a service error by Simon Fraser ended it.
Slayton finished with a match high six aces while Richardson and Gamboa tacked on five apiece. Hallman led the Seawolves with nine kills and hit .471 for the match. Trephan added six kills, six blocks and 15 assists.
The Seawolves took on No. 3 ranked Western Washington in the night game, falling 3-0 to the top team in the West Region. The Vikings jumped out early with the first four points and led for most of the first set before a run by SSU evened the score at 18-18. WWU scored the next four points and went on to win the set 25-20. Sonoma State held a 12-9 kill advantage in the set with
Emily Hernandez leading the team with four.
The Vikings jumped out again in the second and led wire-to-wire to take a 2-0 lead with a 25-21 win despite a 13-10 kill advantage for the Seawolves. Trephan racked up four kills in the set for Sonoma with Hernandez and Krist adding three each. The third started with the teams trading the first nine points and Western Washington leading 5-4 before racing to a 19-9 advantage. The Seawolves battled back and pulled within three at 23-20 but the Vikings put the match away with the final two points.
Hernandez led the way with 11 kills as Sonoma State finished with 35 in total. Trephan just missed a triple-double, recording nine kills, 11 digs and 13 assists.
The Seawolves are back in action at the WWU Invitational tomorrow when they take on Ferris State at 12:00 pm.
