SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team wrapped up its non-conference schedule on a sour note Friday, dropping a three-set decision to crosstown adversary San Diego (13-25, 15-25, 20-25) at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
The Aztecs were outhit .323 to .124 and were plagued by eight service errors, falling to 7-4 on the season, while the Toreros move to 6-4 overall after maintaining the statistical advantage in kills (43-28), service aces (7-0), digs (40-36) and team blocks (6.0-3.0).
Individually, SDSU was paced by Hannah Turnlund and Victoria O'Sullivan, who recorded eight kills each, while Camryn Machado just missed out on her eighth double-double of the year after posting 21 assists and nine digs.
O'Sullivan, who had her streak of consecutive matches with double-digit kills halted at 10, also chipped in with a team-high three block assists, while Lauren Lee and Loren Teter contributed to the Aztecs' defensive efforts with six digs apiece.
Conversely, USD was led by Katie Lukes' 13 kills, while Thana Fayad added 10 put-aways of her own, hitting .529 on the night with one error in 17 attempts. In addition, Megan Jacobsen registered a .500 attack percentage (6-1-10) to go with three block assists, while Payton Douglass and Annie Benbow racked up 10 digs each.
The two teams combined for 11 hitting errors in the opening set; however, the Toreros' Grace Frohling served up four aces, including three in during a 7-2 opening run that put the host school in front for good. The Aztecs were unable to trim the deficit under five points the rest of the way, with USD seizing control thanks to a 6-0 run after the visitors pulled to within 14-9. Fayad keyed the surge with two kills, while Frohling added a solo block to put the score essentially out of reach.
SDSU tried to keep pace in the second stanza, clinging to a slim 5-3 lead after kills by O'Sullivan and Turnlund. However, USD stole the momentum with a 6-1 blitz to vault in front for good. Lukes sparked the outburst with three put-aways, while Frohling added another, putting the Toreros on top 9-6.
An Erin Gillcrist kill kept the Aztecs within striking distance at 13-10, but USD methodically pulled away with a 12-5 closing run to take a 2-0 lead in sets. The Toreros hit .382 for the frame (16-3-34), while SDSU mustered just eight kills against six errors in 30 swings (.067).
The two sides combined for seven ties and three lead changes in the early stages of set number three, until USD inched ahead for good at 9-7 following an Aztec service error and a Jacobsen kill. Moments later, SDSU cut the gap to 11-10 after benefiting from a Torero serving mishap, but could not withstand a 9-3 run that provided USD an insurmountable 20-13 lead.
UP NEXT
San Diego State opens its Mountain West slate on Thursday, Sept. 26, when it plays host to San José State inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym. First serve is set for 6 p.m. PT.
Volleyball Stymied by USD in Three Sets
