Sept. 23, 2017
BOISE, Idaho - The San Diego State volleyball team ended its season-long six-match road swing on a sour note Saturday, dropping a three-set decision to Boise State (22-25, 16-25, 18-25) in a Mountain West clash at Bronco Gym. With the setback, the Aztecs slip to 6-9 overall and 0-2 in league play, while the Broncos improve to 9-5 on the year and 2-0 in the MW.
Boise State posted a greater hitting percentage (.292-.097) while maintaining the upper hand in kills (40-33) and total blocks (8.0-5.0) to help extend its winning streak to six straight against SDSU in the all-time series.
Hannah Turnlund (.462) paced the Aztec attack with eight kills, while Ashlynn Dunbar and Alexis Cage launched seven put-aways apiece. In addition, Devyn Pritchard led all players with 16 digs along the back row, while Gabi Peoples handed out a match-high 30 assists.
However, SDSU was unable to contain the duo of Sabryn Roberts (12) and Kiley Lewis (10), who combined for 22 of the Broncos' 40 kills, while Laney Hayes finished with eight non-returnables to go with four block assists. Keri Leake also got into the act with four blocks of her own, while Maddi Osburn posted 12 digs.
Boise State set the tone for the afternoon in the first set, outhitting the Scarlet and Black .343-.194 for the frame. Lewis knocked down three early kills, while Hayes and Jaymee-Lee Bulda added two apiece to help the host school build a 13-4 cushion.
Unfazed, the Aztecs flashed their resiliency, twice cutting the deficit to two, including a 23-21 spread following a Cage put-away. The Broncos managed to keep the visitors at bay, however, capitalizing on an attack error and a ball-handling miscue to close out the set.
The two sides battled through eight ties and three lead changes in the second stanza before Boise State utilized a timely 12-4 run to break open a tight 13-12 score. SDSU received three kills each from Turnlund and Dunbar, but Boise State posted five team blocks and limited the Aztecs to a minus-.062 hitting percentage to give itself some separation.
The Aztecs nursed a slim 7-5 advantage in the third frame after a Baylee Little kill and a Bronco service error. However, the host school fashioned a 9-4 spurt, capped by a Lewis non-returnable, to take the lead for good.
SDSU kept things close, trailing just 17-15 following a Cage solo block, before Boise State closed with an 8-3 surge. Roberts bookended the run with a pair of kills, while Janell Walley added a service ace to help seal the win.
The Aztecs return home next week for a pair of conference matches against San José State and Nevada. The Spartans invade Montezuma Mesa on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. PT, while the Wolf Pack pay a visit on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. PT.