COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO SPORTS NEWS                     

CSM RALLY UPENDS STATE VB CHAMP FEATHER RIVER, 3-2

Olivia Harrison made the last two kills as College of San Mateo rallied to upset defending state champion Feather River in a 5-set match on Friday at College Heights Gymnasium.

Down, 10-8, in the deciding fifth set, the Bulldogs (1-1) rolled off the final seven points for an emphatic 15-10 victory -- with freshman Madison Low (out of Castro Valley High) the server contributing a pair of aces during the run. She had five in the match.

"This is the first time we've beaten them," said San Mateo coach Katie Goldhahn. "So yes, it has to rank high on our list of wins for CSM. It feels great."

The final totals: 23-25, 25-23, 11-25, 25-10, 15-10.

The win avenged a 3-set loss to Feather River in the 2022 state semifinals, as the Bulldogs finished third..

With the 6-2 Harrison, a sophomore transfer out of Palo Alto High, recording a game-high 12 kills (and six blocks), and 6-0 Nunu Saulala (St. Francis) adding 11 kills  (three blocks), the towering Bulldogs lineup was impressive. The rotation features five players who are six feet or taller. It includes 6-3 freshman Aniyah Hall (Sequoia), who had six kills and hit .750 (three blocks).

San Mateo has now split its first two marathon (more than two hour) contests against the top two teams in the state from 2022, dropping a 3-2 opening match with American River on Wednesday. ARC lost to Feather River, 3-2, last week.

--CSM continues to play the best in the state, hosting Sierra College on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Sierra (4-1) split a pair of matches last week with Feather River (6-2) and is the only other team to defeat the Golden Eagles since their 2022 state tournament run.

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 Contact: Fred Baer       baerf@smccd.edu