SAN DIEGO – Despite four Aztecs posting double-digit kill totals and setter Gabi Peoples' first double double of the season, the San Diego State volleyball team fell in five sets (25-17, 22-25, 25-19, 14-25, 12-15) against San Jose State on Thursday night at Spartan Gym. The Aztecs fall to 6-16 (4-5 Mountain West) while the Spartans improve to 9-9 (4-5 MW).
The Aztecs started the match on a strong note, posting a .370 hitting percentage while limiting the Spartans to a .097 success rate en route to a 25-17 first-set win. Both Erin Gillcrist and Ashlynn Dunbar recorded five kills to lead the offense in the opening game.
SDSU and SJSU were tied in the second set at 16-16 -- the 10th tie score of the set -- but a game-changing 4-1 run for the Spartans proved to ultimately put the set out of reach before SJSU evened the match with a 25-22 win.
SDSU claimed the third set largely in thanks to limiting the Spartans to a .135 hitting percentage. After a Deja Harris kill tied the set at 5-5, the Aztecs went on a 6-0 run to gain an 11-5 lead. The Aztecs never had a lead smaller than four for the remainder of the set, and eventually claimed their second lead of the match after Harris and Dunbar recorded late-set kills to finish the set at 25-19.
The see-saw trend continued in the fourth set, as the SDSU offense struggled to find a rhythm as the Spartans claimed the fourth set, 25-14.
Harris' third kill of the fifth set tied the game at 5-5, helping set up a 6-5 lead for the Aztecs after an SJSU attack error. The Spartans, however, rallied for a 3-0 run to take an 8-6 lead and never looked back, despite the Aztecs making a late push after Hannah Turnlund tied the match at 9-9 with her 12th kill of the evening. From that point, SJSU controlled the pace in the late stages, finishing the match on a 6-3 run to with the fifth set, 15-12.
Both Dunbar (14 kills, 17 digs) and Peoples (48 assists, 15 digs) recorded double doubles for the Aztecs. In addition to Dunbar's 14-kill performance, Harris (16 kills), Turnlund (12 kills), and Gillcrist (10 kills) all logged double-digit kill performances. Harris also led the Aztecs defensively, recording eight blocks, while Loren Teter recorded 14 digs.
NOTES
- SDSU had a three-match winning streak in five-set matches snapped. The streak in five-set matches was tied for SDSU's longest in a single season since winning five consecutive five-set matches during the 2012 season.
- SDSU falls to 5-5 when out-blocking their opponents (SDSU out-blocked SJSU, 11-9).
UP NEXT
SDSU finishes the week at Nevada with a 1:00 p.m. match on Saturday at Virginia Street Gym. The Aztec-Wolf Pack contest will be aired live on the Mountain West Network.
VB Falls in Five to San Jose State
