Oct. 5, 2017
San Jose, Calif.- Giulia Gávio and Nandyala Gama combined for 44 kills Thursday night, but the San José State volleyball team fell to UNLV 3-2 (19-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 15-11) in a Mountain West match at Spartan Gym.
Gávio led all hitters with 23 kills and had her sixth double-double of the season with 12 digs. She also led the team with three service aces.
Gama recorded a career-best 21 kills for the second consecutive match. She led the Spartan hitting attack at .325 (21-8-40) and added four blocks in the loss.
Jamie Hirai played in the front row tonight after injuries have forced the Spartans into some different lineups. She had three kills on 12 attempts, 12 digs, a service ace and a career-best three block assists.
Setter Breann Robinson had her third double-double of the season with 51 assists and 11 digs. She also had five kills, three block assists and two service aces.
The Spartans came out hot in the first set, winning 25-19, and hitting .524 (13-2-21). UNLV jumped out to an 11-7 lead before the Spartans slowly chipped away and took the lead. The Spartans went on a 10-3 run to take a 17-14 lead and went on to win 25-19.
UNLV came out in control from the first serve in set two to win 25-18. The Spartans hit -.026 in the loss.
After the break, the two teams battled in the third set with 11 tied scores and six lead changes. UNLV had a 19-16 lead before the Spartans scored six of the next seven points to take a 22-20 lead, and forcing a UNLV timeout. Gama recorded the final two kills of the set for 25-21 SJSU win.
UNLV used three and four point runs in the fourth set to take control and win the set 25-20 to force a fifth set. In the fifth set, UNLV took the lead for good at 5-4 and led by as many as six points before winning 15-11.
San Jose State is now 11-5 on the season and 3-2 in the MW. The team continues at home this Saturday with a noon first serve against New Mexico inside Spartan Gym, located on the corner of Fourth and San Carlos Streets.
Mountain West
UNLV def. San José State 3-2 (19-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 15-11).
Kills - UNLV - Mariena Hayden 17, Ashley Owens 11.
SJSU - Giulia Gávio 23, Nandyala Gama 21.
Records - UNLV 5-13, 1-4; San José State 11-5, 3-2.
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