Oct. 19, 2017
San Jose, Calif.-- The San José State volleyball team needed four sets and overcome adversity as the Spartans defeated Air Force 3-1 (25-20, 25-10, 25-27, 25-23) Thursday night in a Mountain West match in Spartan Gym.
Fernanda Vido led all hitters with 20 kills and added seven digs. Nandyala Gama added 14 kills, hit .520 for the match (14-1-25) and led the Spartans with seven blocks (1-6). Breann Robinson contributed 43 assists, three kills, four digs and six blocks. Luiza Andrade led the defense with 19 digs, while Jamie Hirai added 13 digs.
The Spartans won the first set 25-20, coming back from an early 11-7 deficit. The team took the lead for good in the set at 18-17 on a Vido kills and had the biggest lead at five points when winning the set on a Falcon service error.
The second set found the Spartans maneuvering through the highs and lows. San José State jumped out to a 14-4 lead, but point 14 came with a price as Giulia Gávio recorded the kill but suffered an injury that stopped the match. With Gávio was out for the rest of the match, the Spartans recouped and won the set 25-10 on a Gama kill. The team hit .667 during the set with 13 kills on 18 attempts and only one error.
After intermission, the Spartans came out took a 14-9 lead early on in the third set. The team led for most of the set and had match point at 24-22, but the Falcons battled back to tie the score at 24-24 before winning the set 27-25.
The two teams battled in the fourth set, with Air Force jumping out to a 21-16 lead. A Gama kill made the score 21-17, and she served four consecutive points for SJSU to tie the score at 21-21. The Spartans took the lead for good at 23-22 on an Air Force ball handling error and won 25-23 on a Falcon service error.
With the win, the Spartans are now 14-7 on the season and 6-4 in MW play. The 14 wins are the most for a Spartan volleyball team since the 2012 season when the team was 14-16. The six conference wins are the most MW wins for the Spartans since joining the conference in 2013.
San José State returns to the court next Thursday, October 26, when the Spartans host Fresno State at 6 p.m., followed by San Diego State on Saturday, October 28, at 2 p.m. All matches played at Spartan Gym, located on the corner of Fourth and San Carlos Streets. Admission is free.
Mountain West
San José State def. Air Force 3-1 (25-20, 25-10, 25-27, 25-23).
Kills - AF - Abigail Miksch 12, Piper Heineck 11.
SJSU - Fernanda Vido 20, Nandyala Gama 14.
Records - Air Force 10-13, 3-6; San José State 14-7, 6-4.
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