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TURLOCK, Calif. - Grace Witcher's 22 kills helped propel No. 5 seed San Francisco State to a five-set victory over the No. 4 seed and the defending CCAA Tournament Champions, Stanislaus State, 16-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22, and 15-9. (Nov. 20)
 
Witcher received help from Aidan Goodrich and Tamiya Wilson, who added 15 and 17 kills, respectively. That offensive trio was the difference in a match decided by the narrowest of margins.
 
SF State posted 69 kills, 54 combined by Goodrich, Wilson, and Witcher over the five sets, compared to 51 for the Warriors. It also held a slight hitting percentage edge at .249 to .241, and made only seven more hitting errors (20 to 13).
 
Goodrich (10), Wilson (17), and Witcher (13) each recorded double-doubles with digs. Melanie Hewlett posted a career-high 54 assists as she recorded her fourth match with 50 or more assists.
 
Malia Tanksley led Stanislaus State with 13 kills, and Emily Meyer had nine. Ten different Warriors recorded a kill in the match. Stanislaus State did win the battle at the net, outblocking SF State 6-2.
 
With a big crowd packed into the Fitzpatrick Arena to watch the hometown team in a playoff match, Stan State jumped out to an 8-1 lead and coasted to a 25-16 win in the opening set. The Warriors outhit the Gators .250 to .070 in the frame.
 
The second set went back and forth early before Stan State went on an 8-2 run to take an 18-14 lead. From that point, SF State outscored the Warriors 11-2 to even the match 1-1. In the set, SFSU hit .459 with 18 kills and only one error, while Stanislaus State was nearly as good with a .448 hitting percentage (15 kills and two errors).
 
The third set would be Stan State's opportunity to close out with a late run. San Francisco State reached 20 points first and held a 21-19 lead. The Warriors responded behind Meyer and Lauren Hamilton, who each had two late kills as Stan State closed out with a 6-2 run to win the set 25-23.
 
SF State turned back the tide in the fourth set as it overcame an 18-15 deficit with a 9-1 run. Witcher closed the set with a kill (25-22).
 
The Gators took that momentum from the fourth set and used it to springboard them in the fifth. They opened on a 7-1 run and never let the Warriors get closer than three points. The trio of Goodrich, Wilson, and Witcher also showed up big in the fifth set. They combined for six kills and helped SF State hit .250 in the decisive final set.
 
SF State will advance to the CCAA Tournament semifinals for the third consecutive season. It will face the No. 1 seed, Cal Poly Pomona, on Friday, Nov. 21, at 5:30 p.m.