FRESNO, Calif.---Stan State closed out the Sunbird Classic with a three-set sweep of Jessup Saturday afternoon, defeating the Warriors 25-16, 25-16, 25-20 at Fresno Pacific's Special Events Center.
Stan State improved to 2-1 behind a season-high 12 kills from
Soraya Forbes and a career-high 10 kills from
Lauren Gonzales. Forbes hit .400, while Gonzales hit .467 and added a match-high 12 digs to record the first double-double of her collegiate career. The Warriors finished with a .319 hitting percentage and held Jessup to .022.
FIRST SET
Stan State jumped out to a 9-3 lead before Jessup pulled within 11-8. The Warriors responded with five straight points, highlighted by a
Lauren Hamilton kill and two blocks along with an
Emily Meyer kill and Gonzales service ace, to take a 16-8 advantage.
Jessup cut the lead to 18-14, but Stan State answered again and closed the set with a Forbes kill for the 25-16 victory. The Warriors recorded 16 kills and hit .290 in the opening frame.
SECOND SET
Stan State used an early run to take a 5-1 lead before extending its advantage to 12-5 behind a block from
Sydney Hoffman and Gonzales and a
Fallon Freeman kill. After Jessup pulled within 16-12, Forbes recorded three consecutive kills and Hoffman followed with a solo block to give the Warriors a 20-12 advantage. Stan State went on to take the set 25-16 and a 2-0 lead in the match.
THIRD SET
The third set was tied 4-4 before Stan State began to create separation. Forbes had back-to-back kills as the Warriors took a 10-6 lead and eventually extended the advantage to 14-9.
Jessup rallied to within 14-13, but Hoffman stopped the run with a kill. Stan State rebuilt its lead to 18-13 and never trailed again. Gonzales finished the match with a kill to give the Warriors a 25-20 victory and the sweep.
Stan State saved its best offensive set for last, recording 16 kills with just three errors while hitting .394.
WARRIOR NOTABLES
- Soraya Forbes recorded a season-high 12 kills and hit .400.
- Lauren Gonzales recorded a career-high 10 kills, hit .467 and added a match-high 12 digs to record the first double-double of her collegiate career.
- Lauren Hamilton had five kills and hit .444, while Fallon Freeman finished with six kills and hit .333.
- Reagan Wilkerson had 20 assists, while Ireland Avalos added 17 assists.
- Stan State hit .319 with 45 kills while holding Jessup to .022 and 20 kills.
- The Warriors finished the Sunbird Classic 2-1 with victories over Western Oregon and Jessup.
- Head coach Lauren Flowers earned her 65th career victory at Stan State and is now 65-50 (.565) in her fifth season leading the Warriors. Her 65 victories tie Mallori Gibson-Rossi for third on Stan State's all-time coaching wins list, while her .565 winning percentage is currently the highest in program history.
UP NEXT
Stan State travels to Denton, Texas, for four matches at the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Corinth-Denton Volleyfest, Sept. 4-5.
The Warriors open the tournament on Friday, Sept. 4, against Westminster at 11 a.m. (CT) before facing Southern Arkansas at 7 p.m. (CT). Stan State concludes the tournament on Saturday, Sept. 5, against Southern Nazarene at 1:30 p.m. (CT) before facing host Texas Woman's University at 5:30 p.m. (CT).
All four matches will be played at Kitty Magee Arena in Denton and streamed live on FloCollege.
