SAN DIEGO – Behind Victoria O'Sullivan's match-high 15 kills, the San Diego State volleyball team rolled past Fresno State in three sets Tuesday night (25-15, 27-25, 25-13) in a Mountain West clash that was played at San Diego City College due to a power outage affecting the SDSU campus.
The Aztecs equaled their highest collective hitting percentage of the season at .337, benefiting from 22 attack errors, as the Bulldogs finished with a mere .109 clip. SDSU also played solid defense for the most part, maintaining a hefty 40-25 advantage in digs, as well as a 9-6 edge in team blocks to help key its win.
As a result, the Aztecs snapped a two-match losing streak and avenged an earlier 3-0 defeat at Fresno State on Oct. 14, improving to 13-13 overall and 6-9 in conference play, while the Bulldogs dropped their sixth straight, falling to 12-15 on the year and 5-10 in the MW.
In addition to O'Sullivan, who hit .423 for the match (15-4-26), SDSU received seven kills from Nya Blair, a freshman who came off the bench for an injured Hannah Turnlund, while Andrea Walker finished with five put-aways of her own to go with four block assists.
Defensively, four players totaled seven digs apiece on the night for the Aztecs, including setter Camryn Machado (31 assists), who joined teammates Sam McGrath, Lauren Lee and Loren Teter, while Tamia Reeves led all players with five block assists.
SDSU outhit Fresno State in the opening set .304 to (-.036), as the visitors shot themselves in the proverbial foot with eight attack errors compared to just seven kills. Nursing a slim 4-3 advantage, the Aztecs reeled off five straight points and were never threatened, as Reeves sparked the run with a kill and combined with Erin Gillcrist and Blair on two blocks.
SDSU methodically increased its advantage to double digits, with Blair and O'Sullivan providing three kills apiece during the remainder of the set, while Walker teamed with Gillcrist and Machado on a pair of blocks.
The two sides battled one another in a frantic second set the witnessed 12 ties and four l eads changes, as each team knocked down 18 kills. At the centerpiece was a virtual duel between the Bulldogs' Desiree Sukhov, who totaled seven put-aways in the frame, while her counterpart O'Sullivan launched six non-returnables of her own.
Leading 15-11, SDSU was poised to give itself some further separation. However, Fresno State had other ideas, fashioning a 9-4 run jump in front 20-19. Amilya Thompson keyed the run with back-to-back kills, while Rebecca Rendahl came up with a solo block.
Stung, the Aztecs responded with a 5-1 surge, sparked by Gillcrist's consecutive put-away, while McGrath served up an ace, followed by another Blair kill. The Bulldogs would not go quietly, however, as Rendahl and Amaria Kelley each floored a ball, while an errant SDSU swing knotted the score at 24-24. The teams exchanged points on the next two serves before the Aztecs finally secured the set with kills by Maddie Lenn and Machado.
The third frame was nearly a carbon copy of the first, as the Scarlet and Black limited the Bulldogs to a minus-.030 hitting percentage, as the visitors once again self-destructed with nine attack errors compared to just eight kills in 33 swings. O'Sullivan added four more kills during the set, while Reeves came up with three block assists.
Clinging to a 9-8 lead, the Aztecs switched on the afterburners, putting Fresno State in their rear-view mirror with a strong 16-5 closing run. The Bulldogs also gifted SDSU with three service errors and a bad set during that stretch, while Reeves joined forces with Gillcrist on a pair of stuffs at the net while combining with Machado on another.
The Bulldogs were paced by Sukhov's 14 kills, while Kelly finished with eight put-aways in the defeat.
UP NEXT
San Diego State wraps up the home portion of its 2019 schedule on Thursday, Nov. 14, when it plays host to Air Force to highlight Senior Night festivities. First serve is set for 6 p.m. PT.
Volleyball Sweeps Fresno State
