TUCSON, Ariz. – The San Diego State volleyball team wrapped up its non-conference schedule in style on Saturday after sweeping UC Riverside (25-15, 25-21, 25-19) in its final match of the Wildcat Classic at McKale Center.
The Aztecs (3-9) posted their second-highest team hitting percentage of the season with a .303 clip, maintaining a sizable 43-31 advantage in kills while committing just 13 attack errors on 99 attempts. In addition, the Scarlet and Black held the statistical edge in team blocks (9.0 to 2.0), digs (57-35) and service aces (5-2) to help secure the victory.
Conversely, the Highlanders (4-6) were limited to a .086 pace, marking the second-lowest efficiency by an SDSU opponent this year. UCR managed just 31 kills against 21 miscues on 116 swings while suffering five service errors.
Victoria O'Sullivan led all players with 14 kills and did not commit an attack error until her penultimate attempt of the match, finishing with a .500 hitting percentage. In addition, the Aztecs received seven kills apiece from Kalani Ruri (.385) and Reagan Merk, while Noa Miller fell two assists shy of her season high after dishing out 26 helpers.
Not to be outdone, Julia Haynie (.455) knocked down six kills and totaled four blocks, including a solo stuff, while Jordyn Goldsmith assisted on four stops at the net as well. SDSU's defensive efforts were also buoyed by Natalie Smith's match-high 22 digs, while Mikela Labno (5 kills) contributed a season-best 13 scoops of her own.
The teams combined for 18 ties and nine lead changes in the first two sets, but this time it was the Aztecs who fashioned timely runs to seize the momentum.
The SDSU offense fired on all cylinders in the opening frame, blasting 18 kills with just two errors on 38 attempts for a .421 hitting percentage. O'Sullivan powered down six kills alone, while Smith came up with 12 digs along the back row. Still, the Aztecs found themselves knotted at 9-9 before jumping in front for good on consecutive kills by O'Sullivan and Merk.
Goldsmith soon followed with two put-aways in a row, while Miller served up an ace, as the Scarlet and Black increased its advantage to 20-14. Moments later, Goldsmith joined forces with O'Sullivan on a pair of block, helping to ice the set.
SDSU maintained its consistency in the second stanza, hitting at a .440 clip with 14 kills on 25 swings with just two errors, while holding UCR to a .062 percentage (11-9-32). O'Sullivan and Haynie floored three shots apiece in the set, while Ruri, Merk and Labno launched two non-returnables each.
However, the Aztecs were forced to rally from a series of three-point deficits, including a 14-11 spread after a kill by the Highlanders' Ayanna Kimbrough. With the score deadlocked at 19-19, SDSU uncorked a 6-2 run to steal UCR's thunder. Labno posted two kills during that stretch, while Haynie added another, along with a solo block to help the Aztecs take a commanding 2-0 lead in sets.
SDSU carried that momentum into the third frame, scoring the first five points to seize control. The Highlanders narrowed the gap to 6-4 on a kill by Zoey Seput ; however, the Aztecs unleashed an 11-0 blitz, capped by an Ashley Vanderpan service ace, to build an insurmountable 17-4 advantage. UCR gradually whittled the deficit to five at 24-19, but the rally proved too late, as O'Sullivan aptly clinched the match with a kill on the ensuing serve.
San Diego State opens Mountain West play next weekend when it travels to face Nevada on Thursday, Sept. 23 before heading over to the Bay Area on Saturday, Sept. 25, for a clash with San José State.