MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's volleyball team fell in straight sets (25-17, 25-16, 25-21) to San Francisco State on Friday afternoon inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
Natalie Riley led the Bobcats (4-11, 1-5) with 12 kills, 11 digs, and a career-high three blocks. Riley's double-double was her fourth of the season and fifth of her career. Also of note, the sophomore recorded a season-high .345 hitting percentage.
Kyra Miller also notched a double-double with 25 assists and 11 digs, her seventh double-double of the season.
Callie Neufeld had five kills and six digs, while Kylah Guzman added four kills and a block.
Giselle Henley and Morgan Wilson pitched in three kills each.
Ayana Ruffin picked up four blocks, one solo, and had two kills. Ruffin played in two sets.
Jazmine Banks collected 17 digs to extend her double figure digs streak to a program-record 15 matches.
Other notables include seven digs from Gianella "GiGi" Tijamo and two service aces from Jourdyn Ozeta-Banks.
SF State scored the first three points of the opening set and went on to lead wire-to-wire. Leading 9-7, SF State exploded on a 9-2 run to create real separation and double up the Bobcats at 18-9. The Gators led by at least six points the rest of the frame.
Set two was similar to the first set as the Bobcats remained close early on but the Gators would go on another 9-2 run to pull away, this time turning a 7-6 advantage into a 16-8 margin. The Bobcats couldn't get any closer than five points following the Gators surge. SF State finished the frame with a .351 hitting percentage while limiting the Bobcats to just nine kills and a .172 success rate.
UC Merced had to play from behind the entire third set but did keep battling and managed to cut three different six point deficits in half, including turning a 19-13 deficit into a 19-17 game with the help of an Ozeta-Banks service run. However, SF State answered with three straight points to go up 22-17. A kill each from four different Bobcats made it a three-point game at 23-20 and 24-21, but SF State would complete the sweep with a 25-21 set three win.
SF State's Grace Witcher and Alana Larson led the Gators with kill/dig double-double's. Melanie Hewlett quarterbacked the offense with 42 assists.
