Aug. 26, 2017
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State volleyball team split two matches on Saturday at the Aztec Invitational, sweeping Portland State (25-19, 25-22, 25-17) in an early afternoon contest, before suffering the opposite fate against CSUN in the nightcap (15-25, 17-25, 24-26). With the results, SDSU completed the weekend with a 1-2 record in its season-opening tournament.
Against Portland State, the Aztecs received a sparkling performance from Deja Harris, who posted 11 kills on 15 attempts with no errors for a .733 hitting percentage to go along with six block assists. In addition, Hannah Turnlund recorded 10 put-aways of her own, while Alexandra Psoma registered eight kills, four digs and three service aces in a winning effort.
The two teams battled through four ties and three lead changes early in the opening frame before the Aztecs unleashed a 13-0 blitz to build an insurmountable 18-6 advantage. Psoma fueled the run with three kills, while Harris and Ashlynn Dunbar registered two apiece, combining for a pair of block assists as well. The Vikings managed to trim the deficit to 24-19, but Harris and Dunbar joined forces once again to stuff the visitors' final attack for the set-clinching point.
SDSU was the recipient of another timely run in the second stanza, overcoming an early 4-0 deficit with a 19-7 surge to seize the upper hand. Turnlund blasted five kills during that stretch, while Alexis Cage added three.
PSU (2-1) responded with four straight points to pull within 19-15, but the Aztecs temporarily halted the spurt, as a Harris kill restored the host school's five-point cushion. Still, the Vikings managed to keep things close, narrowing the gap to 24-22 following an SDSU service error. However, the Scarlet and Black benefited from the identical misfortune on the very next play as a wayward serve provided the Aztecs a 2-0 lead in set.
With momentum on its side, SDSU jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the third frame after a Cage blast found the floor. Shortly thereafter, Portland State cut the deficit to 15-11 following a Caitlin Bettenay kill. However, the Aztecs stood their ground, closing with a 10-6 run to secure their first victory of the season.
As a team, SDSU outhit the Vikings .312-.176 for the match, highlighted by a .406 clip in the third set. In addition, the Aztecs maintained the upper hand in kills (46-31), assists (44-30) digs (29-24) and total blocks 7.0-3.0.
The Aztecs were unable to sustain their offensive prowess against CSUN, however, hitting just .180 for the match despite double-digit kill totals from Dunbar (11) and Harris (10). SDSU was plagued by 20 attack errors and 12 errant serves, as the Matadors (1-2) built substantial leads in the first two sets.
Baylee Little also got into the act for the Aztecs, finishing with eight kills and two block assists, while Devyn Pritchard scooped up a match-high 13 digs.
SDSU got off to a sluggish start in the opening frame, falling behind 10-2 after a service ace by the Matadors' Kristey Markle. CSUN stretched the margin to 10 on three occasions, including the final 25-15 spread as Aeryn Owens recorded one of her 14 match-high kills for the clinching point.
The Aztecs inched out to a 2-1 lead early in the second stanza, but CSUN countered with three straight points on a pair of Owens kills and an SDSU attack error to leap in front for good. The Matadors upped their advantage to 10 once again at 23-13 following a block by Lauren Conati and Melissa Eaglin, which put the score out of reach.
The third set was a much tighter affair featuring nine ties and three lead changes. The Aztecs forged a pair of three-point leads midway through the frame, including a 16-13 edge after consecutive kills by Dunbar. However, CSUN turned the tables with an 11-5 spurt, grabbing a 24-21 lead following an errant SDSU attack.
The Scarlet and Black tied the score shortly thereafter thanks to a Dunbar kill and two Matador hitting errors. However, SDSU was unable to seize the upper hand as CSUN received a Nickeisha Williams kill and another Markle ace to complete the sweep.
In addition to hitting percentage (.244), the Matadors owned a statistical advantage in digs (34-2) and total blocks (9.0-7.0).
Following the match, Deja Harris was named the Aztec Invitational's most valuable player, finishing the weekend with a .433 hitting percentage on 30 kills in 53 attempts with just seven errors. She also came away with 13 total blocks in three matches, including two solos, while adding four digs. Other players added to the all-tournament team included Rachel Woody and Cassie Knutson of Eastern Kentucky; Caitlin Bettenay and Erin Clark of Portland State, and Aeryn Owens of CSUN.
San Diego State returns to the court next weekend when it travels to the Midwest for the Spartan Invitational. Sept. 1-2, in East Lansing, Michigan. The Aztecs will face Michigan State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday, before battling Marshall on Saturday.
2017 Aztec Invitational All-Tournament Team
Deja Harris, San Diego State (Most Valuable Player)
Rachel Woody, Eastern Kentucky
Cassie Knutson, Eastern Kentucky
Caitlin Bettenay, Portland State
Erin Clark, Portland State
Aeryn Owens, CSUN