SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision (18-25, 25-18, 21-25, 10-25) to San José State in a defensive struggle Thursday night in the Mountain West opener for both teams on Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.
After knotting the match at one set apiece, the Aztecs (2-10, 0-1 MW) ran out of steam, combining for just 11 kills and a minus-.048 attack percentage over the final two frames en route to their fourth straight defeat against the Spartans.
Neither side hit the ball particularly well, as SJSU (7-4, 1-0 MW) finished with a .195 efficiency for the match, while SDSU mustered a .098 clip. Although the Spartans totaled two fewer attack errors (24-26), the visitors maintained a 47-39 advantage in kills and a 16-12 edge in team blocks to help fuel their victory.
The Aztecs were largely kept off-balance throughout the night, as San José State owned a 54-44 margin in digs while serving up nine aces, compared to SDSU's three.
Individually, the Aztecs were led by Madison Corf's 10 kills, while Heipua Tautua'a flirted with a rare triple-double, amassing nine put-aways and nine digs to go with a career-high seven blocks, including a pair of solo stops.
In addition, Kat Cooper (.429) and Kayla Rivera launched seven non-returnables apiece, while Elly Schraeder fell one block short of a personal-best after posting eight rejections, including a solo stuff.
Elsewhere, Noa Miller (18 assists, 8 digs) and Sarena Gonzalez split the setting chores, while McKenna Douglas returned to the lineup for the first time since opening weekend and racked up 14 digs.
Tautua'a flashed her versatility in the opening set with five kills, five digs and four blocks, helping the Aztecs whittle away at a 17-7 deficit. The SDSU outside hitter keyed a 7-1 blitz with two put-aways, a pair of combined blocks with Schraeder following her own solo rejection, as the host school trimmed the margin to 18-14.
However, the Spartans kept the Aztecs at bay thanks in part to two Yazmin Pitpit kills and another by Madeline Boerstra, who joined forces with Jiana Lawson on a block for the clincher.
SDSU responded with its most productive set of the night in the second stanza, blasting 17 kills on 33 swings for a .333 efficiency. Corf stole the spotlight during that stretch with seven kills, while Schraeder quickly floored a shot following an overpass to put the Scarlet and Black in front for good at 13-12 after the teams combined for seven ties and four lead changes in the early going.
Two kills and by Corf and Tautua'a provided the Aztecs some late separation, as the latter teamed with Schraeder on a block to secure the set and even the match.
Despite posting six fewer kills than SJSU in the third set (14-8), San Diego State remained in contention thanks in part to nine Spartan attack errors, including solo blocks by Cooper and Tautua'a, while Douglas served up an ace, which knotted the score for the eighth time in the set at 16-16.
However, SJSU tallied three straight points to vault in front for good after kills by Haylee Nelson and Boerstra, who subsequently combined on a block to give the visitors a 19-16 lead.
The Aztecs narrowed the gap to one on three occasions, including a 22-21 spread following a Mikela Labno kill. Unfortunately for SDSU, the Spartans closed with three straight points on an errant attack and a wayward serve followed by an Amethyst Harper put-away.
The fourth set quickly unraveled for the Scarlet and Black, as the host school managed just three kills against eight hitting errors on 29 swings in the frame. Despite such offensive woes, the Aztecs trailed by a slim 10-8 margin following an errant Spartan attack. However, SDSU was outscored 15-2 the rest of the way. Harper ignited the run with three kills, while Mia Schafer served up three consecutive aces before the visitors closed with three straight blocks, including two assists each by Boerstra and Alyssa Sugai.
The Spartans were paced by Nelson, who hit .417 for the match and finished with a double-double of 13 kills and 10 digs, while Harper came through with 10 put-aways of her own in the win. In addition, Sarah Smevog led all players with 23 digs, while Pitpit compiled seven block assists.
San Diego State wraps up its weekend homestand on Saturday, Sept. 24, when it locks horns with Nevada, starting at 1 p.m. PT. The Wolf Pack (7-5, 1-0 MW) outlasted Fresno State in a five-set thriller on the road Thursday night.
Aztecs Fall to Spartans in MW Opener, 3-1
