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Two teams combine for 34 ties and 10 lead changes in seesaw affair
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo courtesy goaztecs.com
November 11, 2023 (San Diego) - The San Diego State volleyball team gave visiting Colorado State all it could handle for much of the afternoon Saturday before fading down the stretch in a three-set loss (23-25, 28-30, 15-25) on Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.
With the setback, the Aztecs dropped their third straight match, slipping to 9-18 on the season and 4-12 in conference play, while the Rams remain tied for second in the Mountain West standings with New Mexico and Fresno State after raising their record to 16-11 overall and 10-6 against league foes.
SDSU and CSU combined for 34 ties and 10 lead changes in their showdown, as each side posted eight team blocks.
However, the Aztecs committed four more attack errors (18-14) than the Rams, who out-hit the Scarlet and Black .263 to .175 while maintaining a 10-4 advantage in service aces and a 39-36 edge in kills to hold on for the victory and complete the season sweep.
Taylor Underwood (.292) was the lone SDSU player to reach the double-digit kill plateau after blasting 10 put-aways to go with three block assists. In addition, Madison Corf floored six shots, while Heipua Tautua’a (3 aces) and Elly Schraeder (3 block assists) totaled five strikes apiece.
The Aztecs also received a career-best five block assists from Amber Keen, while McKenna Douglas tied for match-high honors with 12 digs. Not to be outdone, Sarena Gonzalez (20 assists) and Fatimah Hall (13 assists) shared the setting responsibilities.
Conversely, CSU was paced by Malaya Jones, who led all players with 14 kills and tied teammate Naeemah Weathers for match-high honors with four blocks, as both competitors contributed a solo stop. Additionally, Annie Sullivan chipped in eight put-aways of her own, followed by Weathers, Kennedy Stanford and Karina Leber with five apiece, while setter Emery Herman logged a double-double with 31 assists and 12 digs.
The opening frame witnessed 10 ties, including a 19-19 deadlock following a Corf kill, but the Rams went ahead for good thanks to a put-away by Sullivan, while Weathers and Jones combined on a block shortly thereafter.
San Diego State trimmed the margin to one on four occasions, including a 24-23 spread following a Tautua’a kill. The Aztecs were unable to seize the upper hand, however, as Leber knocked down a shot on an SDSU overpass for the clinching point.
Keen totaled three kills and three block assists in the set, while Underwood launched three non-returnables of her own. Despite committing three fewer attack errors than the Rams (8-5) and posting two more team blocks (5-3), the Aztecs were plagued by three aces and four off-target serves of their own, while the visitors held a 13-10 advantage in kills to escape.
The second stanza proved to be more frantic, with the two sides combining for 17 ties and five lead changes. As a team, SDSU blasted more kills in the set than the Rams (15-11) but were saddled with more attack errors (9-4), which proved costly. The Aztecs were also victimized by four additional CSU aces while four of their own serves went awry.
Trailing 21-19, SDSU fought back to tie the score at 24-24 following a kill by Mikela Labno. Shortly thereafter, the Aztecs reached set point on three occasions, capped by a Tautua’a put-away, which gave the host school a precarious 28-27 advantage. However, the Rams closed with three straight tallies, featuring kills by Weathers and Jones, sandwiched around an errant SDSU attack.
Stung, the Aztecs went back to work in the third frame, forging seven more ties early on, including a 10-10 deadlock courtesy of an Underwood kill. However, CSU subsequently vaulted in front to stay when Weathers joined forces with Sullivan on a block, while Jones promptly followed with another put-away.
After Keen combined with Campbell Hague on a rejection to pull SDSU to within one at 15-14, the Aztecs ran out of steam, as the Rams closed with a 10-1 blitz to end the match. CSU benefited from three Aztec attack errors in that span, while Weathers provided two late kills before Leber served up an ace.
The Aztecs were unable to keep pace with the Rams, hitting at a .200 clip in the set with 11 kills against four errors in 35 attempts, while the visitors logged their highest efficiency of the afternoon with a .448 hitting percentage, knocking down 15 kills against only two miscues in 29 swings.
San Diego State wraps up its 2023 campaign next week when it splits two matches between the road and home, traveling to San José State on Thursday, Nov. 16, before returning to “America’s Finest City” on Saturday, Nov. 18 for a clash with UNLV to highlight Senior Day festivities.
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