In the third set of Saturday’s match against the University of California, Merced Bobcats, the San Francisco State University Gators were ahead 24-11 after both sides exchanged service errors, which are serves that soar directly out of bounds. 

Junior outside hitter Aidan Goodrich served for the Gators, but the Bobcats responded. Their libero Jazmine Banks set up setter Ellie Gordon, who struck a kill down the center and out of reach for Goodrich. 

But, like numerous times before, the home squad came together and recollected themselves in preparation for the visitors’ next attack. 

Bobcats’ sophomore libero and setter Kaitlyn Anderson served for the visitors, but the Gators were set to respond. Freshman setter Melanie Hewlett set up Goodrich, who delivered the final blow to seal the match. 

“It’s awesome, especially after last weekend,” Goodrich said, referring to last weekend’s loss in Pomona. ”We had a tough loss. So, to be able to come back and respond and bounce back, it’s great and it just shows our grit.”

The Gators concluded their weekend with two consecutive sweeps over the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt Lumberjacks and the Bobcats. Prior to Saturday, the Gators had won four out of 12 games this season — three of those wins were in the California Collegiate Athletics Association regular season. 

SFSU kept its sixth place in the conference, while the 3-3 Bobcats remain one spot below them.

Before Saturday, the Gators had a two-game road trip to Southern California to visit the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos and the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros. They left the Toros victorious in four sets, but were swept by the Broncos the next day. 

After the loss in Pomona on Sept. 27, Hoffman credited his team for responding this week with two wins. 

“I think it was a great response and bounce back from that weekend,” Hoffman said. “We came back, we got after [it] this week of practice. We worked really hard.
Got them a little uncomfortable, but they handled it really well and they responded well. [They] carried it over into these matches, so I’m proud of that.”

The Bobcats opened the first set with three consecutive kills, but the Gators climbed atop the scoreboard to claim the set 25-23. Junior outside hitter Grace Witcher led the home squad with seven kills, and Hewlett with 13 assists. 

After turning the tables over in their favor, the Gators’ resilience was on display in the Swamp, and Hoffman said the team doesn’t want to give their opponents control of the game. 

“Really stressing has been not letting teams have runs and not letting them being up and dictate how we want to play,” Hoffman said. “So, I was proud of how they responded to those moments and battled all the way through, battled their way back into it and turned the corner.”

The Gators carried the first set’s momentum into the second, striking first this time and closing the set 25-19. Hewlett collected 10 more assists, and Goodrich climbed up the stat sheet to nine kills, just behind Witcher’s total of 10. 

One set away from their fifth victory in 2025, the Gators opened the third set similarly to the second with an opening lead. They dominated the third set and collected their fourth home win with a 25-12 set score. 

Goodrich led the team with 18 kills, with Witcher trailing with 15. Witcher said it feels rewarding for her and Goodrich to be the teammates everyone can count on in pivotal moments on the court. 

“With our position, we do get the most goals. We get all the junk,” Witcher said. “We practice all week in different drills that prepare us for those situations, so when it comes to game time, it’s just like clockwork and it’s super easy. I can speak for us both. We just love helping other people, so being able to contribute to our team is super amazing.”

Hewlett walked off the court with 36 total assists and two blocks. 

“My job is always to make my hitters look good and obviously win us points,” Hewlett said. “So anytime that I have a lot of assists, it just makes me feel good ‘cause I’m making my hitters look good.” 

The freshman felt welcomed by the team when she first came to SFSU, and grew comfortable with her performance as the season progressed. 

“I knew coming in I had a pretty big role and I needed to work really hard for it,” Hewlett said. “It was a little bit scary at first. It was just super exciting to come in and know that I have that waiting for me.”

Goodrich praised her team, including the new athletes, for their dedication and growth in the game. 

“We’ve made so much progress,” Goodrich said. “I’m so proud of each and every one of the girls on the team. It’s hard when you have three freshmen coming into college and they’re jumping on the court right away and they’re starting. So shout out to them, especially. They’ve done a great job adjusting and just really get used to the system.”

Hoffman said this year’s group has gotten closer, and the freshmen have been adapting to the level of play they’ve experienced in the first month and a half of the season. He said the team is improving together and emphasized the importance of being competitive in any situation. 

“We have a lot of young players, and [we’re] getting comfortable playing with each other,” Hoffman said. “We talk about it in a timeout where we don’t have to always compete when it’s close. We need to be able to compete when it’s a big lead or at all times. So, [we’re] really leaning on competing a lot more.”

The Gators have their sights set on Thursday’s game in the Swamp against the Cal State Stanislaus Warriors. The Gators previously lost against the Warriors 3-1 in the 2024 CCAA tournament at Pomona. Goodrich said they’ll continue focusing on whatever comes their way. 

“We’re just going to keep taking it one game at a time,” Goodrich said. “Next week, we have two more home games, so we’re super excited for that. We’re just gonna keep going at it and having fun.”