Seawolves notch another volleyball upset

<p>At several moments during Thursday night’s match against one of the nation’s top teams, Sonoma State women’s volleyball coach Bear Grassl counseled his players to stay focused and prepare for a prolonged battle.</p><p>“Just keep playing,” Grassl said. “There’s still a long way to go.”</p><p>Surprisingly, however, Grassl was fantastically wrong.</p><p>After just over an hour, the match was over.</p><p>A battle? It was more like a bullying.</p><p>In a stunning outcome that offered compelling evidence that the Seawolves’ fast start is no fluke, SSU swept 15th-ranked and previously unbeaten Cal State Los Angeles 25-20, 25-18, 25-20 at Seawolf Gym.</p><p>The victory upped SSU’s record to 10-1, its best start in school history, and marked its second win over a ranked team in six days. The Seawolves (3-0 in CCAA) beat No. 25 Chico State last week.</p><p>Not bad for a program with three straight losing seasons that entered Thursday with a 4-24 all-time record against Cal State L.A. (9-1, 2-1).</p><p>“We were pretty nervous about this game,” SSU junior outside hitter Ali Walker said. “We didn’t expect it to be that easy.”</p><p>But it was over in 70 minutes, thanks to big contributions from Walker (10 kills, 12 digs), senior outside hitter Kristy Sather (11 kills) and junior setter Lindsay Brown (30 assists), who played with a sprained ankle.</p><p>“We were outplayed,” Golden Eagles coach Bill Lawler said.</p><p>Grassl, who has never won more than 15 games in six years at SSU, returned four starters from last year’s 13-14 edition. And returnees such as Sather, who signed with UC Santa Barbara out of Maria Carrillo, coupled with newcomers such as Walker, a transfer from Mount Hood City College, have combined to form an early-season powerhouse.</p><p>“I’m not surprised,” Grassl said. “I’m just impressed. Every day they impress me more and more.”</p><p>And in the next few days, the Seawolves could enter the national rankings for the first time since 1993. SSU hosts CCAA doormat Cal State Dominguez Hills, which entered Thursday with a 1-9 record, on Saturday.</p><p>Grassl dismissed the rankings as a “popularity contest.” </p><p>But Sather believes a spot in the Top 25 would represent another important step in a season that, unlike Thursday’s match, could last much longer than expected.</p><p>“It would be nice to get some recognition for all the hard work we’re putting in,” Sather said.</p><p>“Personally, I’d probably brag as much as I could.”</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Eric Branch at 521-5268 or eric.branch@pressdemocrat.com.</p>