Stanislaus State Athletics

ATHERTON, Calif.--- Emily Meyer recorded a team-high 15 kills, while Lauren Hamilton and Maggie Olson each added 12 as Stan State opened its final four-match road trip of the regular season with a five-set loss at Menlo College Friday afternoon at Haynes-Prim Pavilion. The Warriors took a two-set-to-one lead before the Oaks rallied for a 20-25, 25-21, 17-25, 28-26, 15-13 victory. Hamilton hit .391 and added seven block assists, while Rylee Szyszka recorded four service aces and 10 digs.

Stan State moved to 5-12 overall and 1-7 in the CCAA, while Menlo improved to 6-11 overall and 4-5 in conference play.
Meyer finished with 15 kills on 40 attempts while hitting .300, and Olson added 12 kills while hitting .294. Fallon Freeman recorded 10 kills and nine digs, while Soraya Forbes contributed nine kills on 20 attempts for a .400 hitting percentage and four total blocks. Reagan Wilkerson recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 25 assists and 10 digs, while
Bailey Morrison added 23 assists. Lauren Gonzales led the Warriors with 15 digs, while Stan State finished with 60 kills, 10 service aces and 11 total blocks. The Warriors hit .267 for the match.

Menlo was led by Fuka Kikuchi with 23 kills and 16 digs, while Michelle Mlikan added 22 kills and 15 digs. The Oaks hit .235 as a team.

First Set
Stan State jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and extended its advantage to 10-3 behind three kills from Forbes and a service ace by Gonzales. The Warriors continued to control the set, building a 16-10 lead before extending their advantage to 22-13. Menlo rallied with five consecutive points to pull within 22-18, but Stan State answered with a Morrison kill and a Hamilton kill to reach set point at 24-19. The Warriors closed out the opening set 25-20. Meyer led Stan State with four kills, while Forbes added three as the Warriors hit .289 with 13 kills.

Second Set
Menlo took an early 7-3 lead and extended its advantage to 12-6 before Stan State rallied with six consecutive points, highlighted by two Szyszka service aces and kills from Hamilton and Olson, to tie the score at 12-12. The Oaks answered with five straight points to regain a 17-12 lead and later extended their advantage to 24-18. Hamilton recorded consecutive kills, and a Menlo attack error brought the Warriors within 24-21, but Kikuchi finished the set with a kill to give the Oaks a 25-21 victory and even the match at one set apiece. Hamilton led Stan State with five kills in the frame.

Third Set
Menlo built an early 8-4 lead and later held a 16-12 advantage before Stan State mounted a comeback. The Warriors scored three consecutive points to pull within 16-15 before tying the score at 17-17. Szyszka then served eight consecutive points, including a service ace, as Stan State closed out the set on a 10-0 run. The surge included kills by Olson, Hamilton and Freeman along with two blocks involving Hamilton. The Warriors captured the set 25-17 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Stan State hit .458 with 12 kills and just one attack error while recording four team blocks.

Fourth Set
Stan State and Menlo battled through 11 ties and three lead changes in the fourth set. The Warriors used consecutive service aces by Mendoza to build a 13-8 lead and later held a 19-15 advantage. Menlo rallied to tie the score at 20-20 before Stan State regained a 24-22 lead. The Oaks answered with two consecutive points to tie the score at 24-24. Meyer recorded kills to give the Warriors leads of 25-24 and 26-25, but Menlo answered each time. The Oaks scored the final three points, including a service ace by Kikuchi, to win 28-26 and force a deciding fifth set.

Fifth Set
The Warriors and Oaks battled throughout the deciding set, with Stan State taking an 11-9 lead on a Meyer kill. Menlo answered with two consecutive points to tie the score at 11-11 before Hamilton recorded a kill and teamed with Meyer for a block to give Stan State a 13-11 advantage. The Oaks responded with four consecutive points, highlighted by two Mlikan kills, to rally for a 15-13 victory and secure the match.

Warrior Notables

• Meyer led Stan State with 15 kills while hitting .300 and added seven digs and three block assists.
• Hamilton finished with 12 kills while hitting .391 and recorded a team-high seven block assists.
• Olson recorded 12 kills while hitting .294 and added six digs.
• Freeman finished with 10 kills, nine digs and four block assists.
• Forbes recorded nine kills while hitting .400 and added four total blocks, including one solo block.
• Wilkerson posted her eighth double-double of the season and 10th as a Warrior with 25 assists and 10 digs.
• Morrison recorded 23 assists.
• Gonzales led Stan State with 15 digs and added two service aces.
• Szyszka finished with four service aces and 10 digs.
• Stan State recorded 60 kills while hitting .267 and finished with 10 service aces and 11 total blocks.
• Stan State is now 2-5 in five-set matches this season following Friday's loss at Menlo. The Warriors' two five-set victories came against Southern Nazarene on Sept. 5 and Cal State East Bay on Sept. 26.

Up Next
Stan State continues its final four-match road trip of the regular season Saturday, Oct. 17, when the Warriors face Cal State Monterey Bay at 5 p.m. at The Kelp Bed in Seaside. The Otters will host Chico State this evening before facing the Warriors tomorrow. The road trip concludes next weekend in San Bernardino during Stan State's second CCAA Pod Weekend of the season. The Warriors will face No. 10 Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 5 p.m. before taking on Cal State Los Angeles on Friday, Oct. 23, at 5 p.m. Both non-conference matches will be played at Coussoulis Arena.

Stan State returns home for its final four regular-season matches, beginning with a pair of Central Valley rivals. The Warriors will host No. 4 Fresno Pacific on Friday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m. and UC Merced on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 5 p.m. The following weekend, Stan State will host No. 10 Cal State San Bernardino on Friday, Nov. 6, at 5 p.m. before concluding the regular season against Cal State San Marcos on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m. for Senior Day. The Warriors will recognize seniors Leah Mendoza, Irene London, Emily Meyer, Lauren Hamilton and Maggie Olson. All four home matches will be played at the Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena.