SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team received double-digit kills from four players to help defeat New Mexico 3-1 (25-18, 18-25, 25-18, 25-21) on Saturday in a Mountain West clash inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.
With the victory, the Aztecs snap a modest two-match losing skid, moving to 9-6 on the year and 2-2 in conference play, while the Lobos slip to 5-11 overall and remain winless in the MW at 0-4.
SDSU's balanced attack was paced by Hannah Turnlund, who knocked down 13 kills, while Victoria O'Sullivan finished with 12 put-aways of her own to help the Scarlet and Black defeat New Mexico for the fifth straight match and the seventh time in the last eight meetings between the two programs.
The Aztecs' fortunes were also bolstered by Erin Gillcrist, who finished with 11 kills, while Tamia Reeves (10 kills) logged her second-highest hitting percentage of the year at .643, committing just one error in 14 swings. In addition, Loren Teter anchored SDSU's back row with a match-high 13 digs, while Sam McGrath (11 digs) reached double figures in that category as well.
Despite knocking down just two more kills as a team (56-54), the Aztecs registered six fewer errors overall, out-hitting the Lobos .308 to .207 while maintaining the statistical edge in digs (56-39) and total blocks (11.0-8.0).
With the score knotted at 5-5 in the opening set, SDSU reeled off four straight points to seize the upper hand. Turnlund ignited the run with a kill and a service ace, while Gillcrist and Andrea Walker combined on a block. The Lobos were never able to trim the deficit to under two points the rest of the way after pulling to within 14-12 on a kill by Kaitlynn Biassou. Turnlund blasted four of her five kills in the set during an 11-6 closing run that kept the visitors at bay. Gillcrist and O'Sullivan also launched two non-returnables during that stretch, while Camryn Machado (35 assists) provided the clincher with a flip shot over the net.
In all, the Aztecs logged their best hitting percentage of the match at .480, totaling 15 kills in 25 swings with just three errors.
However, SDSU was unable to match that production in the second stanza, as New Mexico engineered a timely 8-0 run midway through the set to erase a 14-13 deficit. Yasmin Tan joined forces with Danica Rowan and Lauren Twitty on a pair of blocks, while Maddie Freiwald added a service ace to help the visitors vault in front for good.
The teams witnessed eight ties and two lead changes in the third set until the Aztecs finally grabbed the momentum with a decisive 8-1 surge that broke a 17-17 deadlock. The Lobos self-destructed during that span, committing five attack errors, while Gillcrist supplied a pair of kills to go with an O'Sullivan solo block.
Riding that crest, SDSU never trailed in the fourth set, racing to a 5-1 lead thanks in part to consecutive kills by Reeves. UNM managed to remain in striking distance, however, narrowing the gap to 23-21 on a Twitty kill followed by an Aztec attack error. Unfazed, the Scarlet and Black regrouped after a timeout, with Walker and Turnlund providing the clinching kills to ice the set and match.
Walker finished with a career-high five blocks, including a solo stuff, while Gillcrist assisted on four blocks in the victory.
Conversely, the Lobos were led by Twitty's match-high 17 kills, while Biassou (11) and Tai Bierria (10) surpassed the double-digit plateau in that category. In addition, Tan registered six blocks assists on the afternoon, while Rowan had five.
UP NEXT
San Diego State opens at four-match road swing, starting next week when it travels to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains to face Wyoming on Thursday, Oct. 10, before locking horns with No. 16 Colorado State on Saturday, Oct. 12.
Volleyball Rebounds with Four-Set Win over New Mexico
