LOGAN, Utah – Behind a red-hot start by the San Diego State volleyball team, the Aztecs extended its winning streak to four after a five-set win over Mountain West foe Utah State on Saturday afternoon. The Aztecs improve to 5-14 (3-3 Mountain West) while Utah State falls to 3-14 (1-5 MW).
Both Hannah Turnlund and Erin Gillcrist (five kills on six attempts each) led the way for the Aztecs in a dominating 25-13 first-set win. With the Aztecs holding a narrow 11-10 lead, SDUS used a 9-0 run to distance themselves from the Aggies with a 20-10 advantage. SDSU finished the set with a convincing .682 - .000 edge in hitting percentage, good for SDSU's best single-set hitting percentage of the season.
The Aztecs continued to apply that pressure in the second set, using a standout performance by Ashlynn Dunbar (six kills on 10 attempts) to lead the way to a 25-20 second-set win. The Aztecs held a convincing 17-9 lead in the second set and were able to hold off an Aggies rally, eventually claiming the set, 25-20, after Gillcrist logged the final two kills for the Aztecs in the second set.
Despite Deja Harris logging 10 kills over the third and fourth sets, the Aggies were able to even the match after claiming the third set, 25-19, and the fourth set, 25-20. As a team, the Aztecs failed to carry over its early-match offensive momentum, logging hitting percentages of just .209 and .058 over the third and fourth sets, respectively.
In the match-determining fifth set, the Aztecs fell behind with the Aggies gaining a midset 8-5 lead. The Aztecs, however, turned towards Turnlund, who logged four consecutive kills for the Aztecs to help gain a 13-11 lead. The Aztecs sealed their fourth consecutive win after Harris posted her match-high 19th kill to close a 15-11 fifth-set win.
In addition to Harris' match-high 19 kills, both Gillcrist and Turnlund contributed 15 kills with hitting percentages of .225 and .250, respectively. Defensively, Harris led the Aztecs with eight blocks, while Loren Teter recorded a career-high 22 digs in the win. Delaney Taylor posted six kills on just eight attempts while leading the Aztec offense with 47 assists.
NOTES
- San Diego State is hitting .255 over the course of its current four-match winning streak. Deja Harris has paced the offense over its successful stretch, averaging 2.89 kills per set with a .353 hitting percentage. Loren Teter leads the team with 3.29 digs per set over SDSU's last four matches, while Delaney Taylor has averaged 9.50 assists per set over the win streak.
- After starting the season 1-4 in five-set matches, SDSU has won each of its last three contests that have gone the distance. All three of SDSU's conference wins have come in five-set fashion this season.
UP NEXT
SDSU returns home next week, hosting New Mexico on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. before finishing the weekend with a home match against UNLV on Saturday.
VB Extends Win Streak in Five-Setter vs. USU
