HAYWARD, Calif. – The Sonoma State volleyball nearly erased a two-set deficit on Friday night, forcing a deciding fifth-set before falling to Cal State East Bay in extra points. The Seawolves moved to 8-4 overall on season and are now 3-2 in CCAA play.
SSU started fast in the early going, jumping out to a 12-7 lead before the Pioneers answered back with seven straight points. They would later add four in a row and never trailed again. The Seawolves twice pulled within one, including at 23-22 but CSUEB notched the last two points to take it 25-22.
The second set was back-and-forth from the start with both teams leading several times and 11 ties throughout. After the Seawolves tied the score for the final time at 23-23 the Pioneers once again closed strong with the final two points to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Sonoma State dominated the third set to avoid the sweep, leading from start to finish and holding a 10-point lead at one point. The Seawolves jumped out to a 15-7 advantage and later led 20-10 before taking the third 25-17 behind a match high 16 kills.
The fourth set was once again a back-and-forth affair with neither team leading by more than three at any point. The set was tied at 20-20 before a kill by
Leilani Hallman and an ace by
Jaden Krist put the Seawolves on top.
Kaden Young,
Jen Trephan and
Brooklyn Jackson recorded the final three points on kills to force a fifth and deciding set.
The Seawolves twice looked to be pulling away in the fifth only to have the Pioneers respond. SSU led 8-5 before CSUEB scored the next three to knot the set at 8-8. With the set tied at 10-10, Sonoma State scored the next three and were just two points away from victory. However, East Bay ripped off four straight to force match point. The Seawolves fought off match point twice but the Pioneers scored the final two to make it 17-15.
Sonoma State held a 61-49 kill advantage but committed 31 errors to just 18 from Cal State East Bay. Krist led all players with 18 kills while Trephan notched her fifth triple-double of the season with 12 kills, 18 assists and 23 digs.
The Seawolves close out their week tomorrow evening with a match at Cal State Monterey Bay at 5:00 pm. Be sure to follow your Seawolves on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get all the latest SSU athletics updates and information. Sonoma State athletics also has launched a new fan app in partnership with From Now On. Download the free app today in both the Apple and Google Play stores by searching Sonoma State Seawolves in the app store. @SonomaSeawolves | #NomaNation
