HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Despite playing its best match of the weekend, the San Diego State volleyball team found victory once again elusive on Saturday, as Sam Houston dealt the Aztecs a five-set heartbreaker (23-25, 25-13, 25-14, 15-25, 9-15) at the season-opening Bearkat Invitational inside Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Incredibly, SDSU maintained the statistical edge in most categories, including kills (59-52), hitting percentage (.230 to .179), aces (5-4), digs (70-68) and team blocks (12.0-7.0).
After hitting at a brisk .351 clip over the first three sets with just eight attack errors, however, SDSU faltered in the final two frames, posting a combined .060 hitting percentage with 14 miscues to finish its venture to the Lone Star State with an 0-3 record. Conversely, the Bearkats regrouped by hitting .304 during that stretch, including a .391 pace in the decisive fifth set, to keep its unblemished record intact (3-0) with one additional match left in the tournament.
Individually, Victoria O'Sullivan (.324) and Zoi Faki led the Aztecs with 14 kills apiece, while Serena Hodson (.300) posted career-high numbers with nine put-aways of her own as well as eight total blocks, including two solo stops. In addition, Faki logged her first double-double in a Scarlet and Black uniform after logging 12 digs, while Ashley Vanderpan accomplished the feat for the first time this year with 26 assists and 10 digs.
Not to be outdone, Natalie Smith once again anchored the SDSU defense by tying for match-high honors with 16 digs, one more than Heipua Tautua'a, who also finished with seven kills, while Kennedy Feuerborn came off the bench to hand out 18 assists.
The opening set was the most competitive of the five, as the teams combined for 14 ties and seven lead changes. O'Sullivan set the tone with six kills during the frame, hitting .600 without an error, while Faki launched four put-aways of her own. Sam Houston seemed poised to pull away after building an 11-7 lead. However, the Aztecs kept the score close and eventually jumped in front, 21-20, on a kill by O'Sullivan followed by a Faki non-returnable and subsequent service ace.
Unfortunately for SDSU, the Bearkats escaped after a timely 5-2 spurt, scoring the final two points on an Ashley Lewis kill and an Aztec attack error, which broke a 23-23 deadlock.
Undaunted, the Scarlet and Black went back to work in the second stanza, posting its best hitting percentage of the weekend during the set with a .483 clip, knocking down 15 kills in 29 attempts with just one error. Hodson led a balanced offense during the frame with four kills, while Faki, Tautua'a and Sara Mukaj launched three apiece. With the score knotted at 7-7, the Aztecs tallied four quick points thanks in part to a pair of wayward attacks and a block error, which ignited a larger 18-6 blitz.
SDSU kept firing on all cylinders in the third set, as O'Sullivan took control with five kills against one error on seven swings for a .571 hitting percentage in the frame. In addition, the Aztecs posted five team blocks, including a solo stop and a pair of assists by Hodson, while Vanderpan added an ace. On the flip side, Sam Houston imploded with nine attack errors, mustering just eight kills on 33 attempts for a minus-.030 pace.
The Aztecs led throughout, racing to a 5-0 lead, highlighted by two Tautua'a kills. The Bearkats narrowed the gap to 8-7, but San Diego State switched into overdrive once again with another sizable 17-7 run to take a 2-1 lead in sets.
The Scarlet and Black was unable to maintain the momentum in the fourth set, as Sam Houston vaulted in for good after a McKenzie Morvant kill and a subsequent Aztec ball-handling error and misplaced attack, which snapped a 5-5 tie. The Bearkats increased their lead to six on two occasions, including a 16-10 spread on a kill by Breanne Chausse. SDSU trimmed the margin with three straight points following kills by Mukaj and Faki, while O'Sullivan and Hodson combined on a block. However, SHSU squelched the Aztec comeback hopes with six consecutive points of its own, capped by a Jenna Roberson ace and a combined block from Morvant and Lewis.
That set the stage for a dramatic fifth set, where the Bearkats rolled to a 6-1 lead, thanks in part to a pair of kills by Chausse and De'Janae Gilmore. SDSU narrowed the gap to 7-5 on an ace by O'Sullivan but could draw no closer, as SHSU responded with five straight points to put the score effectively out of reach.
Lewis (13 kills) and Chausse (11 kills) surpassed the double-digit kill plateau to lead the Bearkats, while Morgan Janda notched a double-double with 30 assists and 11 digs. In addition, Hannah Baker tied the Aztecs' Smith for match-high honors with 16 digs to help fuel the win.
Following the match, O'Sullivan and Smith each landed a spot on the all-tournament team. O'Sullivan averaged 2.64 kills in 11 sets (29 overall) and registered seven block assists (0.64/set) for the weekend to go with 11 digs (1.00/set) and a service ace. Meanwhile, Smith played in all 11 sets as well, averaging 4.91 digs (54 overall) to go with six setting assists.
Saturday's rematch vs. Sam Houston was added after Central Arkansas withdrew from the Bearkat Invitational for contact tracing. The Aztecs were originally slated to play UCA in the tournament opener on Friday, but their match against Houston Baptist was moved up one day. Another clash with the Bearkats was then scheduled to give the Aztecs three matches for the weekend.
San Diego State returns to the Golden State to prepare for the Gaucho Invitational next weekend in Santa Barbara, California. The Aztecs will battle host UCSB on Friday, Sept. 3, before taking on No. 22 Pepperdine and Kansas State on Saturday, Sept. 4.