ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Despite a match-high 15 kills from senior Victoria O'Sullivan, the San Diego State volleyball team was unable to avoid its third straight loss on Saturday after dropping a three-set decision to New Mexico (23-25, 23-25, 13-25) at Johnson Center on the UNM campus.
The Lobos out-hit the Aztecs .323 to .123 and maintained the statistical advantage in kills (44-37) and team blocks (9.0 to 3.0) to complete a season sweep against the Scarlet and Black for the first time since 2009.
With O'Sullivan's total, the SDSU outside hitter has recorded 1,006 kills for her career, becoming the seventh Aztec player to surpass the 1,000-kill plateau since 2003. The Albany, California, native also needs just 27 kills over her final two matches to become the fourth SDSU competitor to reach 400 kills in a single season since 1999.
In addition to O'Sullivan's production, the Aztecs (7-21, 4-12 MW) received six kills from Jordyn Goldsmith, while Zoi Faki collected five put-aways and tied for match-high honors with nine digs. Elsewhere, Ashley Vanderpan (16 assists) and Kennedy Feuerborn (10 assists) split the setting duties for the fifth match in a row, while Natalie Smith came up with seven digs.
Conversely, UNM (18-9, 9-7 MW) was led by the two-pronged attack of Avital Jaloba and Uxue Guereca, who hit a combined .647, as neither player committed an error. Jaloba posted a blistering .833 clip, knocking down 10 kills in just 12 attempts, while Guereca finished with a .545 efficiency after launching a team-high 12 kills on 22 swings.
In addition, Kaitlynn Biassou and Elizabeth Woods each contributed seven kills, with the latter leading all players with five blocks, including a solo stop, while Alia Rasmussen handed out a match-high 38 assists.
Both teams blasted 14 kills in a tight opening set that featured eight ties and two lead changes. O'Sullivan carried the Aztec offense with seven kills in the frame, while Goldsmith added three. Not to be outdone, Faki anchored SDSU defensive efforts in the set with six digs.
The Aztecs were seemingly in control after grabbing a 17-12 lead on consecutive O'Sullivan kills. However, UNM would not go quietly, trimming the deficit to one on three occasions, including a 20-19 margin following a Guereca kill. A put-away by Goldsmith on the ensuing serve gave the visitors a precarious two-point edge at 21-19.
The Lobos seized the momentum at this juncture, crafting a 6-2 run to escape with the set. UNM received a solo block from Biassou, while Jaloba and Kassie McGill provided kills to key the run. In addition, the hosts benefited from an off-target SDSU attack as well as an errant serve, which provided the clincher.
Unfazed, the Aztecs went back to work in the second stanza, where they posted their highest hitting percentage of the afternoon with a .263 clip, blasting 14 kills on 38 swings with four errors. O'Sullivan once again shouldered the offensive responsibilities for the Scarlet and Black, posting six more kills in that stretch, while Faki floored three shots of her own.
Save for a 1-1 tie, SDSU maintained the upper hand for most of the frame, building a pair of four-point advantages, including a 13-9 spread following a kill by Heipua Tautua'a. However, the Lobos twice narrowed the gap to one, including a 16-15 spread following an Aztec serving error.
Moments later, the visitors reclaimed a four-point cushion at 23-19 on kills by O'Sullivan, Faki and Andrea Walker following consecutive UNM attack errors. In a cruel twist of fate, however, the Lobos caught lightning in a bottle with six straight points to steal the set. Guereca supplied two kills, while Jaloba joined forces with Kali Wolf on a block, before Rasmussen served up an ace to secure the frame.
The Aztecs were unable to generate any consistency in the third set, posting more attack errors (11) than kills (9) for a minus-.062 hitting percentage. On the flip side, the Lobos recorded their highest efficiency of the match with a .476 clip, totaling 13 kills against three errors on 21 attempts.
Still, SDSU found itself in a 6-6 deadlock following a Reagan Merk service ace before UNM scored five straight points to take the lead for good. Guereca keyed the run with a pair of kills; Woods came up with a solo block, while Rasmussen combined with Jaloba on another stop. Shortly thereafter, the Aztecs faced a 16-8 deficit following consecutive attack errors and never threatened again.
San Diego State wraps up its season with a pair of home matches next week, squaring off against Nevada on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. PT, before entertaining San José State on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m.