The Gators women's Volleyball team had their seventh-game winning streak shattered Friday night by veteran-team Chico State as SF State lost 3-1 in an all-out frenzy conference opener for both teams.

Anticipating breaking Chico State's seventh-game winning streak, the then 7-1 Lady Gators delivered an exceptional performance in their first CCAA match but fell short after a tough fourth set.

Leading with a team-high 15 kills, Gator freshman Lauren Walsh proved she was there to handle her business.

"I brought my game tonight because I knew that's what it takes to win," said the outside hitter.

Teammate senior Beth Perkins also stepped up recording 13 kills on 44 attempts. Despite the numbers however, the Gators dropped the first set 25-21.

In a fist-clenching second, the Gators emerged victorious 25-19. Chico State struggled for the lead as they were outshined 69 percent to 54 percent on team attacks. Sophomore Kyle Lamet exploded 10 kills on 21 attempts with support by freshman setter Iris Tolenada who contributed to 42 of the 50 total team assists. Walsh swiftly ended the set with a powering kill that left Chico State stone cold and the match tied 1-1.

"In order to be a go-to player, you have to push your teammates harder and help with those who struggle," said outside hitter Lamet. "I did well even though we fell off toward the end, but it was all teamwork at play and it showed."

Despite the set loss, Chico State answered back immediately as Gillian Heydorff struck the first kill for a two-point advantage in the third set (1-3). But it was Gator ball in no time after Lamet smashed another attack of her own. After an astonishing 10 tied scores in the match and two Gator timeouts, Heydorff sealed the third set 25-22 win for Chico State with a tip.

"Chico State is a mature and experienced team with a great level of aggressiveness," said SF State Head Women's Volleyball Coach Michelle Patton. "They challenged us throughout the entire game and tonight it showed that compared to them we were less aggressive. We let up tonight."

The match was essentially lost for the Gators after the third set as they were slaughtered in the fourth, losing 25-15.

"Our first loss seemed more acceptable than tonight because we were still learning about each other as a team," said Walsh. "This [loss] feels a whole lot worse than it did last time."

With two losses under her belt for the season, the only thing Patton will try to focus on is maintaining composure and guiding her team to victory. With the loss, the Gators fall to 7-2.

The Gators return to the court tomorrow [Saturday] at 7 p.m. when they play host to Cal State Stanislaus in another conference match-up.