BOISE, Idaho – The visiting San Diego State volleyball team dropped its regular-season finale Saturday, falling to Boise State in four sets (10-25, 25-13, 21-25, 20-25) at Bronco Gym.
With the loss, the Aztecs saw their three-match winning streak snapped, finishing the year with a 15-14 overall record and an 8-10 mark in the Mountain West. Conversely, the Broncos ended the 2019 regular-season campaign with an 18-11 ledger and a 10-8 record in conference play.
Despite maintaining a 55-52 advantage in kills and a 44-40 margin in digs, SDSU was outhit .357 to .301, as the Broncos capitalized on 18 attack errors while serving up 10 aces.
Individually, the Aztecs received a match-high 17 kills from Victoria O'Sullivan, while Hannah Turnlund launched 15 put-aways in her final collegiate appearance. Tamia Reeves also got into the act with nine kills and hit a season-high .727 for the afternoon, committing just one error in 11 swings, while Erin Gillcrist launched nine non-returnables as well.
Elsewhere, Camryn Machado notched her 15th double-double of the year with 46 assists and 10 digs, while Loren Teter led all players with 13 digs.
SDSU trailed just 6-5 in the opening set before Boise State reeled off six straight points to break the score open. Lauren Ohlinger sparked the run with two kills, while Jordi Holdaway added a service ace.
SDSU stormed back with a vengeance in the second stanza, blasting 18 kills on 26 attempts with just two errors for a .615 hitting percentage. Save for two ties, the Aztecs never trailed in the set, building an insurmountable 16-6 lead following three consecutive O'Sullivan kills.
SDSU stumbled out of the gates early in the third frame, falling behind by a 7-2 count. The Aztecs fought themselves off the ropes, grabbing a series of one-point leads, including a 19-18 spread after another O'Sullivan put-away. However, Boise State responded with a timely 7-2 run to escape. Ohlinger and Danielle Boss each served up an ace, sprinkled among three Janell Walley kills, including the clincher.
San Diego State nursed a slim 12-11 advantage in the fourth set after a solo block by Andrea Walker and an O'Sullivan kill. However, the Aztecs were unable to give themselves any further separation, as the Broncos answered once again with a 6-2 run to take the lead for good at 17-14. Shortly thereafter, Boise State extended the margin to five at 22-17 on the heels of another Holdaway ace and SDSU never threatened again.
Ohlinger led the Broncos with 16 kills, while Walley finished with 11 put-aways in the victory. Cassedi Simon also contributed four service aces, while Jessica Donahue racked up five block assists.
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Collectively, Boise State hit .400 over the final two sets, while the Aztecs managed a .328 clip during that span.
Turnlund's 15 kills gave her 369 for the season and 1,114 for her career.
Despite the setback, SDSU completed its sixth winning season in the last nine years.
Volleyball Stumbles in Four Sets at Boise State
