SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team came up empty in its first two matches of the Aztec Classic on Friday, dropping a 3-1 decision to Maryland (14-25, 25-21, 20-25, 18-25) before suffering a sweep at the hands of Arizona in the nightcap (17-25, 15-25, 11-25).
In a rare Friday matinee, the Terrapins maintained the statistical advantage in most categories, including kills (50-41), service aces (12-7) and team blocks (11.0 to 5.0) to help fuel their victory. In addition, Maryland out-hit the Aztecs .289 to .179, posting a .462 clip in the opening set after knocking down 14 kills on 26 attempts with just two errors to help set the tone for the contest.
Individually, SDSU was led by Heipua Tautua'a (.300), who just missed out on her third double-double of the year after blasting a team-high 14 kills to go with nine digs. In addition, Mikela Labno and Julia Haynie recorded eight put-aways apiece, while Ellie Geoghegan registered double-digit digs for the third straight match with 12 scoops along the back row.
The Aztec cause was also advanced by Noa Miller's 17 assists and two service aces, sharing the setter duties with Sarena Gonzalez (7 assists), who spun three aces of her own, while Reagan Merk also served up two of her own. At the net, Kayla Rivera (5 kills) finished with three block assists, matching Haynie for the team-high honors in stops, with the latter supplying a solo stop.
SDSU found itself in pursuit mode throughout the opening set but quickly turned the tables in the second stanza, limiting Maryland to its lowest attack percentage of the match at .105 after the visitors mustered just 11 kills on 38 swings with seven errors.
The Aztecs nursed a series of three-point leads, including a 19-16 advantage after a Terps' attack error. However, Maryland tallied three straight points to forge the sixth tie in the set before SDSU vaulted in front to stay at 20-19 following an Elly Schraeder kill. The Scarlet and Black soon kept the visitors at bay down the stretch with kills by Labno, Rivera and Tautua'a, with the latter providing the clincher to even the match at one set apiece.
The third frame was just as competitive with the two sides witnessing eight ties and five lead changes. Both of Merk's service aces gave the host school a narrow 20-19 advantage. However, the Terps responded with a 6-0 closing run to escape. Laila Ivey took charge at this juncture with two kills and a combined block with Rainelle Jones.
Stung, the Aztecs were unable to keep pace with Maryland in the fourth set, as the visitors hit .500 during the frame on 14 kills in 22 attempts with just three errors, while SDSU managed just eight kills in that span.
After falling behind early by a 3-1 count, Rivera joined forces with Schrader and Haynie on a pair of blocks following a kill to help the Aztecs knot the score at 4-4. However, Sydney Dowler launched a pair of non-returnables, while Erin Engel followed with consecutive aces to vault the Terps in front for good at 9-5.
Maryland's lead ballooned to 20-11 following another Dowler kill and an errant SDSU set. The Aztecs responded with 7-2 surge to narrow the gap to 22-18, as a Labno put-away punctuated the run. However, two Laila Ricks kills sandwiched around an attack error derailed SDSU momentum and secured the match for the Terps.
Sam Csire led all players with 18 kills, while Ivey (.333, 13 kills) and Ricks (.421, 11 kills) finished with double-digit put-aways in the match. In addition, Milan Gomillion (14 digs) served up five aces, while Dowler (33 assists) and Engel totaled three apiece. At the net, Anastasia Russ came through with seven total blocks, including a solo stop to anchor Maryland's effort at the net.
Against Arizona, the Aztecs were unable to right the ship, as the Wildcats maintained a .438 hitting percentage compared to SDSU's .138 clip.
Arizona owned a sizable 42-28 advantage in kills and a 7.0 to 4.0 edge in team blocks while benefiting from 15 Aztec attack errors to complete the sweep.
Madison Corf (9) and Tautua'a (7) combined for 16 of SDSU's 28 kills, but no other player had more than three for the hosts.
Conversely, the Wildcats were led by Jaelyn Hodge (.444), who recorded a match-high 15 kills, while Puk Stubbe finished with 11 put-aways of her own on 20 swings without an error for a .550 hitting percentage.
Defensively, Arizona was paced by Alayna Johnson's six block assists, while Hodge totaled four. Elsewhere, Emery Herman dished out 33 assists and scooped up eight digs to go with three aces, while Sofia Maldonado Diaz (7 kills), Ana Heath and Dilara Gedikoglu served up two each.
The opening set was the closest, as the teams combined for eight ties and three lead changes. The Aztecs nursed a pair of one-point leads midway through the frame, including a 14-13 advantage following a Corf kill. However, the Wildcats answered with a 7-0 blitz to take control. Hodge blasted three kills in that stretch, while Stubbe added two put-aways following a Herman ace.
Buoyed by its good fortune, Arizona committed just one attack error in each of the final two sets to ice the match. The Wildcats hit .453 on 26 combined kills in 53 swings, while the Scarlet and Black mustered a .104 efficiency in that span (20-13-67).
San Diego State (2-6) looks to close out its weekend on a high note Saturday when it wraps up the Aztec Classic with a showdown against Sacramento State (2-6), starting at 2:30 p.m. PT. The Hornets dropped a narrow 3-2 decision to Arizona on Friday afternoon before falling to Maryland in four sets.
Volleyball Falls Twice at Aztec Classic
