By Soren Stanton – Spear Reporter | Mariana Buchanan and Learden Lee go up for a block against Fresno State on October 18, 2025. (Photo by Gabriella Kelly – Spear Photographer)
The San Jose State volleyball team defeated the University of Portland 3-2 in a close match that saw the Spartans come back from a 2-1 deficit.
SJSU head coach Todd Kress praised his team’s resilience, saying that they never gave up despite the early deficit.
“I give our team credit for the fact that after you play a set like that and then come back and win the second set, then rally and win the fourth, and have a freshman come off the bench and serve [8] straight points to win the match. That says a lot about our team,” Kress said.
The Pilots led the final set 9-7 after a timeout was called by SJSU. The Spartans proceeded to score 8 points unanswered to win the set 15-9 and the match 3-2.
Senior setter Fatimah Hall was crucial for the Spartans’ win, providing a team-leading 27 assists.
Kress was elated to talk about his team’s final scoring run to secure the win.
“That doesn’t happen very much in our sport, to go on a 9-1 run, so all credit to our young ladies for that,” Kress said.
The Pilots were dominant in the first set, taking a 25-11 win while doubling SJSU in kills and digs, with their hitting percentage at 65%, well outpacing the Spartans’ 7%.
After the Spartans’ lackluster first set, Kress allowed the team to settle down and try to get into a rhythm.
“I just said this is not who we are, we know we’re better than this, let’s just get into a groove,” Kress said. “I told them to be patient, which I learned works well with this group.”
SJSU rallied in the second set, gaining momentum after a crucial block by junior right-side hitter Mariana Buchanan, which pushed the Spartans to go on a 7-point scoring run, eventually winning the set 25-23.
Redshirt sophomore libero Orian Drore provided 8 digs for SJSU, with many coming from diving saves to keep the Spartans alive.
After trading sets three and four by the same score of 25-19, the game went into a deciding fifth set.
Despite falling behind early, SJSU ended the match with more kills and blocks than Portland, highlighting the Spartans’ strength at the net.
Junior middle blocker Learden Lee was a key contributor to the Spartans’ strength up front, leading the team in kill percentage with 58% and blocks with 6.
The Spartans volleyball team is back in action at 6 p.m. Friday at the Spartan Gym to take on the University of Pacific Tigers as they look to extend their win streak to three matches.
