SF State moved closer to victory in the National College Comedy Competition March 2, laughing off UC Santa Cruz at the Regional Rival Match.

“Our goal is to win this thing, but stand-up performances can be difficult to rank,” said Zach Chiappallone, one of the four SF State students to make it to the next round. “So I’m just hoping to draw more attention to the San Francisco comedy scene.”

The house was a full crowd waiting for chuckles as contestants told their best jokes in the mere three minutes they were given.

Chiappallone said there’s a lot of talent in San Francisco and the audiences here are the best he’s ever come across.

“They want to laugh, but they also want an element of originality,” he said. “As a comedian, that’s all you can ask for from your audience.”

Of the eight competing, the audience and panel of judges selected SF State students Pharoah Daniels, Jesse Fernandez, Jules Posner and Chiappallone to be in the starting lineup in the Select 16 Round. The four remaining SF State students will serve as substitutes.

“Originally, the concept of a team seemed to contradict the ways of ‘stand-up comedy’, but I couldn’t have asked for better teammates,” Chiappallone said. “All these guys are really funny, and I feel blessed with all the support our team has generated so far.”

The audience voted on performance clips from the March 10-11 match on the Rooftop Comedy website, which will then determine which schools advance to the Ultimate 8 Selection Round. Chiappallone said that he and his teammates have a long way to go, but he believes they can win.

“All the votes we received last round strengthened that belief, and if people keep voting for us they can turn that belief into a reality,” Chiappallone said. “I wonder if the voters realize how much control they have over our destiny. It’s almost unfair. Unless we win.”