PHOENIX – The San Diego State volleyball team continued play at the GCU Invitational Saturday morning, outlasting a plucky Eastern Washington squad in four sets (25-16, 22-25, 28-26, 25-21) at GCU Arena on the campus of Grand Canyon University.
The Aztecs survived a pivotal third set that featured 21 ties and nine lead changes before engineering a timely 10-4 run late in the fourth frame to secure the victory. With the result, SDSU raises its record to 6-2 on the season, while the Eagles drop to 2-7 overall.
The Aztecs received double-digit kill totals from three players, including Hannah Turnlund, who blasted a match-high 16 putaways while adding 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the year. In addition, Victoria O'Sullivan powered down 12 kills, while Lexie Hamrick hit .333, launching 10 put-aways of her own while tying for match-high honors with five total blocks.
The SDSU cause was also advanced by Camryn Machado, who completed her sixth double-double of the season with 48 assists and 15 digs, while Maddie Lenn (.385) and Tamia Reeves (.375) totaled seven kills apiece. Not to be outdone, Loren Teter finished with a team-high 18 digs.
The two sides committed 24 attack errors apiece, but the Aztecs still finished with a higher hitting percentage (.224 to .151) after maintaining a 60-47 advantage in kills. SDSU also held the statistical edge in assists (53-44), digs (71-59) and total blocks (11.0-8.0).
Still, EWU gave the Scarlet and Black all it could handle after overcoming a pair of seven-point deficits to capture the second set. Trailing 18-11 after an attack error by Renata Lopez-Morales, the Eagles closed with an improbable 14-4 outburst to tie the match at one set each. Malie McClure sparked the run with four kills, while Ashlyn Blotzer combined on two blocks to go with Ana Paula Zandona's service ace. The Aztecs hit just .075 for the frame, posting 11 kills against eight errors, including three wayward swings down the stretch.
Neither team built a lead larger than two points in the hotly contested third set. Clinging to a precarious 22-20 lead, SDSU lost three straight points thanks to the efforts of EWU's Nicoletta Capizzi, who made a kill and then joined forces with Makenna Davis and Zandona on consecutive blocks. The two sides traded points on the next seven serves before the Aztecs received a kill from Hamrick and an Eagle attack error to escape by a 28-26 margin.
Set four was another tight affair, with the teams combining for 11 ties and three changes. SDSU found itself on the wrong side of a 17-15 before unleashing a pivotal 10-4 surge to secure the victory.
The Aztecs put the ball into their own hands during their clinching run, as seven players recorded eight of the team's kills, including Reeves, who also came through with a solo block, while Sam McGrath added a service ace.
The Eagles were paced by McClure's 14 kills, while Ehu Keala added 10, including a pair of non-returnables to clinch the second set. In addition, Puaoolelagi Sao finished with a whopping 31 digs in the loss, while Blotzer (8 kills) tied SDSU's Hamrick with five total blocks.
UP NEXT
San Diego State closes off its weekend excursion to the desert tonight when it faces tournament host Grand Canyon, starting at 7 p.m. MST/PDT. Links to live stats and streaming video will be available on GoAztecs.com.
Volleyball Prevails over Eastern Washington, 3-1
