SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The San Diego State volleyball team came up short in its two matches at the Gaucho Invitational on Saturday, dropping a pair of four-set decisions to No. 21 Pepperdine (19-25, 16-25, 25-21, 18-25) and Kansas State (19-25, 25-18, 23-25, 16-25) inside The Thunderdome.
The Aztecs were out-hit by a combined .280 to .227 for the day and were victimized by 21 service aces overall, falling to 1-5 on the young season.
Zoi Faki and Victoria O'Sullivan led the SDSU attack against the Wildcats with 13 kills apiece, while Mikela Labno launched nine put-aways of her own. Faki hit .323 for the match while contributing seven digs and pair of aces. In addition, setter Noa Miller handed out a season-high 25 assists and racked up seven scoops as well in her third start for the Scarlet and Black, while Heipua Tautua'a and Sara Mukaj finished with three block assists each.
However, K-State maintained the advantage in kills (56-47), digs (45-39), team blocks (10.0-6.0) and service aces (6-4) to help secure the victory.
The Wildcats' Haley Warner hit .636, leading all players with 18 kills and six total blocks, including a solo stuff, while Teana Adams-Kaonohi (44 assists) Mackenzie Morris (17 digs, 4 aces) registered match-high totals in their respective statistical categories.
SDSU logged its best hitting percentage of the match in the second set, knocking down 16 kills on 29 attempts with just three errors for a .448 efficiency. Save for a 1-1 tie, the Aztecs led throughout the frame, with Tautua'a, O'Sullivan and Labno launching four kills each in a balanced attack.
The third stanza was the most competitive, as the teams combined for six ties and three lead changes. K-State built a series of five-point leads, including a 21-16 spread following a Holly Bonde kill. SDSU threw in one last scare, capitalizing on three Wildcat attack errors to key a 5-1 spurt that tied the score at 22-22. Julia Haynie also joined forces with Tautua'a on a block and powered down a kill during that stretch, as did O'Sullivan. However, Carter tallied the final two points on kills, after alternating put-aways by Warner and Faki, helping the Wildcats escape.
Stung, the Aztecs found themselves in the depths of a 7-1 deficit early in the fourth set and were forced to play catch up the rest of the way. SDSU crept to within four at 13-9 following a Haynie kill but could not draw closer. K-State broke the score open with another 7-1 blitz, capped by two Morris service aces, effectively putting the set and match out of reach.
Earlier in the day, the Aztecs were unable to answer timely runs by Pepperdine, which featuring the three-pronged attack of Rachel Ahrens, Meg Brown and Grace Chillingworth, who combined for 52 of the team's 59 kills. Ahrens led all players with 18 put-aways, while Brown and Chillingworth launched 14 non-returnables apiece. In addition, the Waves served up 15 aces, including seven by Ahrens alone, while Kayla Joyce rung up three.
On the flip side, the SDSU attack was paced by Labno, who hit .522 with a season-best 13 kills on 22 attempts and just one error, while O'Sullivan finished with 10 put-aways of her own. Elsewhere, Natalie Smith tied for match-high with 17 digs, while Haynie and Sara Mukaj notched four block assists each.
Trailing 2-0 in sets, the Aztecs posted their best efficiency of the contest with a .421 hitting percentage in the third set, totaling 11 kills on just 19 swings with three errors. Labno had six kills alone during the frame, as SDSU raced to a 7-1 advantage. The Waves rallied to briefly claim the lead at 15-14. However, three more Labno put-aways, along with an Ashley Vanderpan service ace, put the Scarlet and Black in front for good. Pepperdine threatened once more at 20-19, but Jordyn Goldsmith provided a spark with two kills down the stretch, while Labno added another to help extend the match.
The two sides combined for eight ties and three lead changes in the fourth set, but the Waves managed to keep the Aztecs at bay by maintaining a greater hitting percentage (.324 to .206) and serving up four aces. With the score tied at 10-10, Brown knocked down a kill, while Trinity Stanger followed with an ace to spark a 15-8 closing run.
San Diego State returns to the court next week when it plays host to No. 18 UCLA and No. 22 San Diego on consecutive nights, Sept. 10-11, on Aztec Court at Peterson Gym. Both matches are scheduled for a 7 p.m. PT start and will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.