SAN DIEGO – San Diego State volleyball's Victoria O'Sullivan blasted a career-high 24 kills on Thursday, but it wasn't enough as visiting Utah State rallied for a 3-2 victory (21-25, 25-18, 25-16, 21-25, 15-17) in a Mountain West match inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.
Trailing 12-11 in the fifth set, SDSU (6-17, 3-8 MW) scored three straight points on kills by Kennedy Feuerborn and O'Sullivan, followed by an Aggie attack error to reach match point at 14-12. However, USU (17-6, 9-2 MW) promptly turned the tables with a 5-1 closing run to escape with their sixth consecutive win.
The Aggies' run was sparked by a combined block from Inka Mehtola and Kylee Stokes, while Beatriz Rodrigues followed with a service aces, just before Tatum Stall knocked down a kill to vault the visitors in front, 15-14. Heipua Tautua'a responded with a put-away of her own to tie the score; however, the Scarlet and Black self-destructed with a service error and an off-target attack to end the night on a disappointing note.
In addition to O'Sullivan, who surpassed the 20-kill plateau for the fifth time in her career and second straight home match, SDSU received a season-high 11 put-aways from Andrea Walker, while Tautua'a floored 10 shots. Elsewhere, Julia Haynie (.571) followed close behind with a season-best nine non-returnables, committing just one attack error in 14 swings while adding four blocks, including a solo stop.
Tautua'a recorded her second career double-double after scooping up a season-high 15 digs, while Walker matched her season-best with six blocks, including a pair of solo stuffs. The Aztec defense also featured a career-high 17 digs from setter Noa Miller (25 assists), while Natalie Smith (12) and Zoi Faki (11) also reached double-digits in that category. Not to be outdone, Feuerborn came through with a season-high 22 assists and a collegiate-best four block assists while adding five kills.
In all, SDSU maintained a decisive advantage in kills (65-46) and digs (67-56) and tied its season high with 12 team blocks. However, USU posted 16 blocks of its own and six service aces while benefiting from 31 wayward attacks and 14 service errors by the Aztecs.
After dropping the first set, San Diego State roared back to take the next two frames, out-hitting the visitors by a combined margin of .377 to .092 during that stretch. The Aztecs recorded their best efficiency in the second stanza with a .379 clip, knocking down 14 kills on 29 swings with just three errors.
Trailing 8-7 after a combined block by the Aggies' Corinne Larsen and Katie Langford, SDSU fashioned an 8-1 run to catapult into the lead for good. O'Sullivan bombed three kills during that stretch and joined forces with Haynie on a block, while Miller served up an ace. The Aztecs twice extended their advantage to nine, including a 22-13 margin after a stuff by Walker and Feuerborn, which effectively put the score out of reach.
San Diego State kept the momentum in the third frame, totaling more kills (16-9) and team blocks (3.0 to 2.0) to help keep the Aggies in pursuit mode for most of the set. With the score knotted at 8-8, the Aztecs unleashed a 14-6 flurry to seize control. SDSU spread the wealth during that run, with O'Sullivan, Walker and Mikela Labno contributing two kills apiece, while Tautua'a and Smith each served up an ace to give the host school an insurmountable 22-14 lead.
Utah State fought itself off the ropes in the fourth set, building a 9-3 advantage, which it never relinquished. SDSU gifted the visitors in that span with a wayward serve, a ball-handling error and four off-target attacks. The Aggies ultimately enjoyed a series of seven-point leads, including a 22-15 spread on a Langford kill. The Aztecs twice crept to within three points, cutting the margin to 24-21 after Tautua'a floored a shot. However, the comeback was promptly halted on the next serve when Stokes knocked down a kill to send the match into a fifth and deciding set.
The teams battled in the final frame, combined for 12 ties and six lead changes, setting the stage for another dramatic finish. Despite posting more kills in the set (9-7), the Aztecs committed two more attack errors (7-5), including three on blocks by the Aggies, who also served up a pair of aces.
Utah State was led by Stall's 12 kills, while Larsen found herself on the path to a triple-double, finishing with 10 blocks (2 solo) nine kills and six digs. In addition, Stokes and Kristy Frank totaled eight kills apiece, with the latter tying Abby Peterson for team-high honors with 12 digs. Mehtola also contributed six blocks of her own, followed by Langford with five.
SDSU will look to regroup on Saturday, Oct. 30, when it plays host to Boise State, starting at 1 p.m. PT. The Broncos (16-8, 5-6 MW) were victorious in five sets at UNLV on Thursday night.