SAN DIEGO – Behind Madison Corf's match-high 21 kills, the San Diego State volleyball team pulled away for a four-set victory over visiting Air Force (25-21, 27-29, 25-16, 25-16,) in a Mountain West clash Saturday inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.
After the two teams combined for 29 ties and 11 lead changes in the first two sets, the contest witnessed just one more deadlock the rest of the way, as the Aztecs (5-16, 3-7 MW) seized control to put the brakes on a six-match slide.
SDSU maintained a sizeable advantage in kills (62-41) and digs (65-50) while owning a slight edge in team blocks (9.0 to 8.0) and service aces (8-6) to hand the Falcons (9-13, 1-9 MW) their ninth loss in 10 conference outings.
Corf hit .333 for the afternoon, falling one kill short of matching her career high, while Heipua Tautua'a logged her fourth double-double of the season and first in MW play after posting 12 put-aways and 11 digs.
The Aztecs received plenty of other standout performances on Saturday, including Kayla Rivera, who reached the double-digit kill plateau with 11 non-returnables while tying Elly Schraeder for match-high honors with five block assists.
Schraeder (.467) and Julia Haynie (.429, 4 block assists) launched eight kills apiece, while Ellie Geoghegan surpassed the 20-dig barrier after leading all players with 23 scoops.
Not to be outdone, Noa Miller established a career best with 33 assists and fell one dig shy of a double-double with nine scoops, while Sarena Gonzalez dished out 20 helpers in split duty at setter.
The teams battled through a highly competitive opening set, combining for 12 ties and three lead changes. SDSU posted a .333 clip, powering down 17 kills on 39 attempts with just four errors. Corf was on fire in that first frame, logging a .545 efficiency on six kills in 11 swings without a miscue.
With the score knotted at 21-21, the Aztecs closed with a 4-0 rush, as Corf floored a shot before serving up consecutive aces for the clinching points.
The second stanza was even more entertaining, highlighted by several long rallies, while the sides slugged it out through a whopping 17 ties and eight lead changes. Once again, the Scarlet and Black was led by Corf's five kills in the set, followed by Rivera (4) and Tautua'a (3), while Haynie contributed three block assists.
SDSU was seemingly in control, building a series of four-point leads past the midway point, including a 21-17 spread on the heels of an Air Force service error. However, the Aztecs faltered down the stretch, committing three attack errors on the next four points, while Mac Russ knocked down a kill.
Despite two late kills by Corf, SDSU was plagued by its own mistakes, as the Falcons benefited from three errant serves and a wayward attack, while BrookeLyn Messenger abruptly ended the set with a service ace.
Undaunted, the Aztecs shrugged off the adversity and combined for 33 kills over the final two frames while limiting Air Force to just 17 put-aways in that stretch. Save for a 1-1 tie in the third set, SDSU maintained the upper hand for the rest of the afternoon.
Corf, Haynie and Tautua'a led a balanced Aztec attack in the third stanza with four kills apiece, while Schraeder came through with a pair of block assists. Collectively, SDSU recorded its highest hitting percentage of the day with a .368 efficiency, smacking 18 kills against four errors in 38 attempts.
After the Falcons trimmed the margin to 20-15, the Aztecs closed with a 5-1 surge to keep the visitors at bay. Tautua'a, Rivera and Schraeder each blasted a kill, including the latter, who provided the clinching point after powering down a free ball. In addition, Schradeder combined with Tautua'a on a block in that span, while Miller twirled an ace.
With Tautua'a serving to open the fourth set, SDSU exploded out of the gates to take an 8-1 lead and was never threatened. Corf launched four kills in that span.
Air Force entertained faint comeback hopes after Joi Harvey and Sarah Markwardt posted back-to-back kills to trim the margin to 15-10. However, the Aztecs received two put-aways each from Rivera and Haynie down the stretch, while Geoghegan served up an ace to help key a 10-6 closing run and secure the much-needed victory.
The Falcons were paced by Russ (.481), who finished with 13 kills on 27 attempts without an error, followed by Markwardt (8 kills) and Harvey (7 kills). Harvey hit .400 and contributed four blocks, including a solo stuff, but it wasn't enough.
San Diego State will hit the road for a pair of matches next week when it heads to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains to battle Colorado State on Thursday, Oct. 27, before continuing north for a showdown at Wyoming on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Aztecs Topple Air Force in Four Sets
