Oct. 17, 2016
SAN DIEGO - After suffering back-to-back defeats for only the second time this season last week, San Diego State put together one of its better efforts of the season as it defeated visiting Nevada in three sets (25-18, 25-21, 25-16) Monday evening on Aztec Court.
A season high .396 team hitting percentage helped propel SDSU to the victory that saw it improve to 13-9 overall and 5-3 in the Mountain West. Nevada's record, meanwhile, dropped to 14-6 (5-3 MW) as the teams moved into a tie for fifth place in the league standings.
Alexandra Psoma led San Diego State in kills with 10 and also added three blocks, two digs and a service ace.
A trio of Aztecs ended the evening with nine kills each including Deja Harris, Alexis Cage and Ashlynn Dunbar. Harris turned in match-high .571 hitting percentage along with four blocks while Cage had a pair of blocks and three digs. Dunbar also contributed two blocks and three digs in the win.
Freshman Tamia Reeves equaled Harris' match-high block total of four while recording six kills and a .333 attack mark.
In addition, setter Indigo Thompson tallied 38 assists along with three digs, a block, kill and service ace. Devyn Pritchard led the Aztecs with seven digs from her libero position.
The opening set was a tightly contested affair with the score settling in at 11-11 midway through the contest. From there, San Diego State scored six of the next seven points to open up a five-point lead at 17-12. The teams traded single points over the next few minutes until the Aztecs, leading 23-18, used a Nevada attack error and kill by Cage to secure the seven-point win. The Aztec senior outside hitter led all players with five kills in the set while hitting at a .333 clip.
Set number two saw San Diego State take the lead for good when it went up 6-5 early in the contest. The Aztecs eventually built their advantage to 21-13, but had to fight off a Nevada comeback effort that got the visitors to within three at 24-21. But a kill by Psoma ended the set and put the Aztecs up 2-0 in the match. Psoma led SDSU with six kills with Harris contributing five.
In the third set, the Wolf Pak scored the opening point, but SDSU ran off three straight and would not be caught the rest of the way. Nevada got back to within one at 9-8, but SDSU scored five of the next six to open up a five-point advantage at 14-10.
The closest the visitors would come over the remainder of the contest would be three (16-13), but SDSU rallied for six consecutive points behind the serving of Thompson to extend the lead to 24-15 before Cage's ninth kill of the night finished the set and match in the Aztecs' favor.
San Diego State will now get set to travel to Logan, Utah, where it will face conference foe Utah State on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7:00 p.m. (MT).