SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team won its second straight match via the five-set variety after defeating Arkansas (26-24, 16-25, 25-19, 17-25,15-12) Saturday afternoon as part of the SDSU/USD Invitational inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.
With the victory, SDSU improves to 4-1 on the season, while the Razorbacks slip to 3-3 overall. The Aztecs will wrap up their lone tournament of the year with a showdown vs. Arizona, starting at 7 p.m. PT. Earlier in the day, the Wildcats posted a 3-1 decision over West Virginia at Jenny Craig Pavilion on the campus of USD.
Victoria O'Sullivan hit .371 against Arkansas, blasting a team-high 19 kills, while Hannah Turnlund surpassed the double-digit plateau with 15 put-aways of her own. The SDSU charge was also advanced by Camryn Machado, who finished with 46 assists, six digs and three block assists, while Maddie Lenn (.375) knocked down eight kills and combined for two blocks as well. In addition, the Scarlet and Black was paced by Loren Teter's 11-dig performance, while Lexie Hamrick totaled seven kills and four blocks in the contest.
The two sides were nearly identical in team statistics, with the Aztecs maintaining the upper hand in hitting percentage (.270 to .260), kills (61-59) and total blocks (8.0-7.0), while the Razorbacks held a slight edge in assists (58-55) and digs (43-42).
With the score knotted at 5-5 in the third frame, San Diego State gave itself some breathing room with a 7-2 surge, capped by a Machado kill on a fake pass, which put the host school in front for good at 12-7. Arkansas twice cut the margin to two, including a 15-13 following a Gracie Ryan kill, but could draw no closer.
Shortly thereafter, the Aztecs seized control thanks in large part to O'Sullivan, who smashed three straight kills to highlight an 8-4 spurt that put the Scarlet and Black in the driver's seat at 23-17. Moments later, Turnlund closed things out with a pair of put-aways to give SDSU a 2-1 lead in sets.
Despite outhitting the Razorbacks in the third set .464 to .200, the Aztecs could not carry that momentum into the fourth stanza, as Arkansas broke open a tight 11-10 score with a 9-2 blitz to build an insurmountable 20-13 advantage. Jillian Gillen keyed the run with three kills, while Ryan added a service ace. O'Sullivan tried to spark an SDSU rally with a pair of thunderous kills, but it was too little, too late, as the visitors countered with two Maggie Cartwright non-returnables and another by Gillen.
Stung, the Aztecs raced to a 7-1 lead early in the fifth set thanks to O'Sullivan, who provided much of the damage with two kills and a pair of blocks assists alongside Hamrick and Machado, while the Razorbacks committed three additional attack errors. SDSU could not put the visitors in its rearview mirror quite yet, as Arkansas rallied to tie the score at 11-11. The Aztecs shot themselves in the foot with a trio of errant swings, while Elizabeth Pamphile posted a kill after teaming with Cartwright on a block.
However, the Aztecs stood their ground once again, closing with a 4-1 run to put the victory on ice. Turnlund and O'Sullivan supplied two kills each, with the latter throwing a change-up on the final point with a soft scoop over net that made its way to floor between the Razorback defense.
Gillen led all players with 28 kills and posted a .441 hitting percentage to go with 11 digs, while Cartwright finished with a double-double of her own on 11 kills and 10 digs in a losing effort.
San Diego State showed no ill effects from its five-set marathon against West Virginia on Friday night, forging a series of seven-point leads in the first set, including a 20-13 spread after a kill by Lenn. However, Arkansas responded with an 11-4 outburst, fueled by three Gillen put-aways and a combined block by Ellease Crumpton and Maylin Garrett.
Unfazed, the Aztecs received a kill from Hamrick, while a wayward Razorback swing allowed the Scarlet and Black to escape with the set.