Despite the San Francisco State University’s women’s volleyball team playing 1700 miles away from home, a small but spirited group of supporters gathered for a watch party at Sunset Cantina on Judah Street on Dec. 12.

The group of fans watched as the Gators faced off against the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos in the NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Rebecca Rendahl, an alumna of the SFSU women’s volleyball team, organized the watch party to bring the SFSU community together.

“I just had an idea because we have so many supporters in the area for us to all get together and watch, and we’ve had a really good relationship with Sunset Cantina,” Rendahl said. “We always come here after games with our families and have always supported Sunset Cantina. So I thought they might want to support us back.”

As the restaurant’s doors opened, a group composed of former volleyball players, alumni, current students and professors sat together as the large television screen was turned on and tuned to ESPN.

Mattie Cecilio, a former SFSU track and field athlete, attended the watch party to support the team as they advanced through the tournament.

“I’m really good friends with a lot of the volleyball girls and I was when I was an athlete at SF State,” Cecilio said. “I’ve been following their run all season. I watched their earlier games in regionals. They’re a fun team to watch.”

Josie Collier, another former SFSU women’s volleyball player and friend of Rendahl, shared her pride and excitement for the Gators making it to the NCAA tournament.

“I’m so proud of them,” Collier said. “I’ve obviously got to see them grow over these past three years. And it’s just incredible seeing the level of play elevate each and every game, every season, every year.”

Clare Mannion Deal joined the team at the same time as Rendahl and though her journey with the team took a different path, her connection to the team and players remained strong.

“I was part of the program in 2021 and then I wasn’t able — I didn’t get my eligibility. But the girls are amazing,” Mannion Deal said. “The group I met was three years ago, so I’ve been following them forever, and they’re just such an amazing group.”

As the game started, more supporters started arriving at Sunset Cantina. Dr. Nicole Bolter, a professor in the Kinesiology department, sported a purple sweater and gold scarf as she arrived.

“So I follow our SAAC [Student-Athlete Advisory Committee] on Instagram and I saw their posting about that,” she said. “I also ran into David Fierber, who’s our development person for athletics, in the parking lot. And he was like, ‘This is important.’”

Although the Gators quickly fell behind by losing the first two sets to the Bronchos, watch party attendees remained undeterred.

As the third set began, the Gators quickly took the lead, energizing the crowd inside the restaurant as their eyes were glued to the screen. While the Gators tied the game, the atmosphere at the watch party was charged with a mix of nervous energy and anticipation as the winner-takes-all fifth set began.

The crowd’s nervous energy erupted into a roar as the Gators won the first few points of the decisive set. When the Gators reached match point, the restaurant fell into an intense silence momentarily.

But the crowd broke out into a celebration as the Gators completed the comeback and won the game three sets to two sets.

Collier noted the dedication and effort of her former teammates.

“I’ve never gone as far as they have but this must be an incredible feeling. They worked so hard and they put in so much time in the gym to make this happen. It pays off — they’re in the Final Four,” Collier said.

Kimberly DeBoer, setter on the women’s volleyball team, stated how special it was for the team to have the SFSU community’s support back home and noted her appreciation for her former teammates for organizing the event.

“This is a huge testament to the culture that this program has created,” DeBoer said. “Every single girl that has come through the program is so special and they are all such amazing humans.”