Oct. 3, 2017
FRESNO, Calif. -- The San Diego State volleyball team received double-digit kill totals from three players, but it wasn't enough as host Fresno State claimed a 3-1 decision (24-26, 25-19, 19-25, 22-25) Tuesday night in a Mountain West match at Save Mart Center.
With the loss, the Aztecs drop to 7-11 on the season and 1-4 in conference action, while the Bulldogs move to 7-10 overall and 2-3 in the MW.
Despite maintaining a 53-40 advantage in kills and a 63-54 margin in digs, SDSU was undone by 36 attack errors, hitting .114 for the night, but Fresno State committed nearly half that total with 19 miscues while serving up seven aces. In addition, the Aztecs yielded a season-high 15.0 team blocks to the Bulldogs, compared to just 8.0 stops of their own.
Deja Harris and Ashlynn Dunbar led the SDSU attack with 12 kills apiece, while Hannah Turnlund blasted 11 non-returnables of her own. In addition, Harris tied her season-best with seven block assists, while Devyn Pritchard tied for match-high honors with 23 digs.
Not to be outdone, Sam McGrath established a personal best with 11 scoops of her own, while Alexis Cage just missed out on her fourth double-double of the season after finishing with eight kills and 10 digs. Gabi Peoples also got into the act with a match-high 42 assists.
The two sides battled through 14 ties and five lead changes in a hotly contested opening set, but the Aztecs found themselves trailing late in the action by a 21-18 count following a kill by the Bulldogs' Taylor Slover. SDSU fought back to tie the score at 23-23 after Cage launched a non-returnable. However, Fresno State closed with a 3-1 spurt, benefiting from two Aztec service errors, while Lauren Torres provided the clinching point with a solo block.
As a team, SDSU totaled more kills in the frame (16-10), but were handcuffed by more hitting errors (10-2), setting a pattern for the rest of the night.
Nevertheless, the Aztecs managed to turn the tables in the second stanza, where they led wire-to-wire save for a pair of ties (2-2, 3-3). The Scarlet and Black broke open a tight 11-9 score with a timely 10-3 run, capped by a Turnlund kill and an errant Bulldog attack. Trailing 21-12, Fresno State made things interesting with a 6-0 spurt, sparked by two combined blocks and a solo stuff by Aubrey Folk. However, SDSU maintained the upper hand with a 4-1 closing rush, punctuated by a Peoples dump shot over the net.
The Aztecs' hitting woes once again resurfaced in the third frame, with the Scarlet and posting more kills than their adversary (14-10), but compiling more errors (9-1). As a result, SDSU found itself in pursuit mode for most of the set after Fresno State went ahead to stay 6-5 following a Brielle Hefner kill. The Bulldogs eventually stretched the margin to seven at 22-15 after Slover knocked down a pair of shots sandwiched around an Aztec attack error.
SDSU forged a pair of three-point leads early in the fourth set, including a 9-6 spread following a Baylee Little kill. However, Fresno State fashioned a 7-3 run to vault in front for good. Another Little put-away brought the Aztecs back to within one at 13-12, but the Bulldogs reeled off the next six points to build a seemingly comfortable 19-12 cushion.
SDSU responded with a 5-0 blitz of its own sparked by two Dunbar kills and a combined block by Peoples and Harris. However, Fresno State received three Hefner put-aways down the stretch to keep the visitors at bay.
The Bulldogs were paced by Folk's 10 kills, while Hefner finished with eight non-returnables of her own. In addition, Jacqueline Hutcheson totaled 23 digs, while Torres (7 total blocks) and Haile Watson (5 block assists) anchored the middle in the victory.
San Diego State will return to the hardwood on Saturday night when it plays host to Air Force at Aztec Court. First serve is set for 6 p.m. PT.