SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team dropped a five-set decision (19-25, 25-17, 25-14, 23-25, 14-16) in its season opener against CSU Bakersfield at Peterson Gym to begin the 2018 Aztec Invitational.
After dropping the first set, the Aztecs posted a pair of wins in dominant fashion, posting hitting percentages of .486 and .522, respectively, in the second and third sets to take a 2-1 lead. Senior Deja Harris, junior Hannah Turnlund and freshman Victoria O'Sullivan led the charge in over that stretch, each contributing eight kills over the two sets.
Despite posting a better hitting percentage (.326 - .222), more total kills (70-54), more assists (65-50), more digs (55-40), and more blocks (eight to six) over the course of the match, the Aztecs fell victim to late rallies by the Roadrunners in the fourth and fifth sets. With the Aztecs holding an 18-13 advantage in the fourth, the Roadrunners collected a 4-0 run to cut their deficit to one. CSUB eventually claimed the game, 25-23, after back-to-back kills by Briannah Mariner ended the set.
The fifth set featured another back-and-forth battle and with the final set knotted at 11-11, Harris provided the Aztecs with a 12-11 advantage with her 18th kill of the night. The Aztecs and Roadrunners went back-and-forth for the next few services, and with Harris' 19th kill of the night, the Aztecs tied the match at 14-14 before ultimately falling after a Leisa Elisaia kill and an SDSU attack error.
Four Aztecs finished with double-digit kill totals, including a career-high 19 for Harris. Harris also led the Aztecs with a .516 hitting percentage, while Ashlynn Dunbar and Turnlund registered 16 and 14 kills, respectively. In her collegiate debut, O'Sullivan notched 13 kills on 31 swings.
Dunbar logged an eye-catching seven service aces while recording a match-high 17 digs, setting a new career-high in both categories. Delaney Taylor posted 59 assists in her SDSU debut, while Turnlund turned in a career-high 14 digs.
NOTES
- Ashlynn Dunbar's seven service aces were the most by an Aztec since Aime Cordeiro recorded seven at Oregon on Sept. 9, 2006.
- SDSU fell for the first time against CSU Bakersfield, having been undefeated against the Roadrunners in their previous five meetings.
- SDSU falls to 8-3 in its last 11 five-set matches.
UP NEXT
San Diego State concludes the 2018 Aztec Invitational with a pair of matches on Saturday, starting with an 11:30 a.m. meeting with Seattle U and ending the weekend with a 7:00 p.m. contest against Portland. Tomorrow's SDSU-Portland match will air live on the Mountain West Network.