San Jose, Calif.—Freshman Whitney Barnes made her Spartan Gym debut with a team-best nine kills to lead the Spartans in kills, but San José State fell to Wyoming 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-17) in the Mountain West opener for both teams.
Barnes recorded her nine kills on 20 attempts and only five errors. She also had two digs on the night. Fernanda Vido added seven kills, while Caitlin Bettenay and Thaliana Grajeda each had four kills. Grajeda led the team in blocks with five, two solo and three assists.
Luiza Andrade led the Spartans on defense with 11 digs, followed by Vido with 10 and Bettenay with eight. Andrade also had all three Spartan service aces.
The Spartans started the match strong, leading 7-2 and forcing Wyoming to take a timeout. The Spartans maintained the lead for the next 12 points until Wyoming tied the match at 11-11. The Cowgirls then scored the next five points to take a 16-11 lead and won the set 25-19.
In set two, San José State took an early 5-2 lead on a Grajeda kill and led 7-5 before Wyoming scored six points to take the lead at 11-7. The Cowgirls won the second set 25-16 and led from first serve of the third set to win 25-17.
San José State is now 5-5 on the season and 0-1 in MW play. The team travels to Colorado State for a match on Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT. The Spartans return home next week for two matches, Thursday the 27th against Utah State at 6 p.m., and Saturday the 29th versus Boise State at noon. All home matches are played inside Spartan Gym, located on the corner of Fourth and San Carlos Streets. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger and are available at the door.
Mountain West
Spartan Gym
Wyoming def. San José State – 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-17).
Kills – WY – Emily Lewis – 7; SJSU – Whitney Barnes – 9.
Records – Wyoming 9-4, 1-0; San José State 5-5, 0-1.
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