Nov. 5, 2015
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - San Diego State turned in one of its most dominating performances of the season as it need just an hour and nine minutes to register a three-set (25-18, 25-10, 25-18) victory over visiting Fresno State Thursday evening on Aztec court.
With the win SDSU improved to 8-18 overall and 5-8 in the Mountain West with five matches remaining. FSU, meanwhile, saw its record fall to 13-13 (5-7 MW).
Sophomore outside hitter Alexis Cage led all players with 11 kills in the match and also contributed three blocks and six digs. Her .611 hitting percentage marked a career best for the sophomore outside hitter.
Danielle Bolden chipped in with eight kills and added two blocks, 11 digs and a pair of service aces to her final stat line. The 11 digs tied her career best effort.
SDSU dominated at the net as it finished with 12 total team blocks to just one for the Bulldogs. Emma Fuzie tied her Aztec best with six blocks while redshirt freshman Deja Harris matched Fuzie's total.
That blocking figure was one of the main reasons that Fresno State ended the night with just a -.051 hitting percentage. The Aztecs, on the other hand, turned in a team attack mark of .289.
In the first set, kills were at a premium as the teams combined for a total of just 18 in the contest (SDSU-9, FSU-8). Only one player (FSU's Zana Bowens) has as many as three kills in the set as the Aztecs hit .130 while the Bulldogs had a -.029 team attack mark. The Aztecs were more in control at the net as they recorded four team blocks to none for the visitor. Harris led SDSU in that category with three block assists while teammate Baylee Little had two.
The second set saw San Diego State get out of the gate quickly as it captured six of the first seven points. The Aztecs extended their advantage to 12-3 and from there took command of the contest as Fresno State got no closer than eight the rest of the way. Cage led SDSU with four kills as the home side hit .346 in the set. Fuzie added four blocks while Little contributed three kills to help the Aztecs take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was the closest of the three despite SDSU's seven-point margin of victory. The teams traded points from 5-4 up to 10-10 with neither side holding more than a single-point lead. When the Bulldogs went ahead 10-9, it marked the first time that they had led in a set since opening the match with the first point of the contest to take a 1-0 lead.
Trailing for only the second time on the night, San Diego State proceeded to reel off three straight points to take a lead it would not relinquish. After the visitors got back to within a point at 12-11, the Aztecs scored three in a row once again and led by at least three over the remainder of the set. Cage along with Bolden had five kills apiece in the game to pace the SDSU offense. Bolden's final kill and a Bulldog attack error sealed the set and match victory for the Aztecs.
San Diego State will be back in action on Saturday (Nov. 7) when it hosts Mountain West foe UNLV in a match slated to get underway at 6:00 p.m. on Aztec Court.