By: Javen Takhar (@javentakhar) – Spear Reporter | The team rallies around Coach Kress (Photo by Alex Stoev – Spear Photographer)
The San Jose State women’s volleyball team (3-5) came back to win their first game in the USF Challenge in miraculous fashion against the University of San Francisco (2-5) with a final tally of 3-2.
After going down 2-0, SJSU went on to win the last three sets, to take the game.
Going into set three head coach Todd Kress elected to change liberos from senior Randilyn Reeves to freshman Talita dos Santos Gonclaves.
This would prove to be a game-changing decision, as Goncalves finished the game with 15 digs, leading both teams.
SJSU kept it close in the first set, until USF went on a 5-1 scoring run which would be the separator giving them the set 25-23.
Junior outside hitter Devon DeNecochea finished the first set with six of her 15 total kills, making it a career high.
The Dons ran set two, leading 23-17, but after two errors and one kill, the Spartans had inched the gap, and with the score 20-24 graduate student middle blocker Alyssa Bjork scored back-to-back kills making USF call a timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, senior outside hitter Crystal Galaviz would call the set, scoring one of her seven total kills to put USF up 2-0.
Backs against the wall, SJSU opened up game three on a 5-1 run.
USF rallied back, with an impressive 10-4 run making the score 22-20 and taking the lead.
Right side graduate student Hannah Taylor racked up three kills in the third set, and would finish the game as the second leading scorer on USF with 11 and an impressive .069 hit rate.
In the blink of an eye the Dons were back in it, but not for long as the Spartans fought to win the set.
With the score tied at 23, a block assist by junior middle blocker Ava Hewitt-Smith and her classmate right side hitter Lolo Fanua, who would also get the set winning kill.
Set four was neck and neck, with USF scoring and SJSU responding right back.
A Fonua kill followed by an error by Taylor started a 6-1 run for the Spartans, giving them the momentum up 14-10.
The Dons wouldn’t slow down that easily, however, roaring back to tie the game up 17 with a kill by Galaviz.
But two errors in a row would give the Spartans the juice they needed to finish out on top, Fonua once again getting the sealing kill ending the set 25-21.
Fonua would finish the game with 19 kills, the second most on the team and a new career-high.
The heavily anticipated set five started with the Spartans firing out hot with a strong 5-0 lead after an ace from junior setter Fatimah Hall.
USF would get their first points not from an error from junior outside hitter Astrid Puig, who got a strong kill making the score 10-4.
Puig would find one more kill in set five, finishing the game leading the Dons with 15.
Freshman outside hitter Morgan Graves had full control of the ball, putting up four kills in the fifth set, helping the Spartans win the 15-7.
Graves finished the game with 20 kills and 11 digs, giving her a double double and two new career highs.
After falling to the Santa Clara Broncos 3-2, the Spartans needed this big win.
SJSU will take on the Dons again on Saturday, September 20, but first Cal State University, Northridge on Friday, September 19 at 6 p.m. at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
