LOGAN, Utah – The San Diego State volleyball team was dealt its second straight defeat on Thursday after falling to a hot-hitting Utah State squad, 3-0 (19-25, 17-25, 10-25), in a Mountain West match on Kirby Court at Wayne Estes Center.
The Aztecs (4-12, 2-3 MW) were unable to keep pace with the Aggies, who out-hit the Scarlet and Black .354 to .080 while maintaining the upper hand in kills (40-29) and team blocks (11.0 to 7.0).
In all, Utah State (11-5, 3-2 MW) benefited from 22 SDSU attack errors and served up six aces to help fuel their victory.
Individually, the Aztecs were led by Kayla Rivera's nine kills, while Mikela Labno blasted seven put-aways, followed by Elly Schraeder, who hit .500 on the evening after flooring six of 12 shots without an error.
Heipua Tautua'a (.500) also launched four non-returnables on eight swings without a miscue and came up big defensively with five blocks, including a solo stop, while Schraeder assisted on three rejections of her own.
As a usual, Noa Miller (14 assists) and Sarena Gonzalez (13 assists) split the setting chores, while McKenna Douglas and Ellie Geoghegan finished with seven digs apiece.
The competitive opening set witnessed six ties and three lead changes, as each side collected 13 kills. However, the Aggies totaled four team blocks and were gifted three additional points on unforced SDSU attack errors to keep the visitors at bay.
With the score deadlocked at 12-12 following a Geoghegan service ace, USU reeled off five straight points to seize control. Kennedi Boyd joined forces with Emilee Turner on a block to ignite the run before adding a kill on the ensuing serve.
Trailing 17-12, the Aztecs trimmed the margin to four on two occasions, including a 21-17 spread following a combined block by Schraeder and Tautua'a. However, the host school crafted a 4-2 closing run, clinching the set on an errant SDSU serve.
In the second stanza, the Aztecs overcame a 4-0 deficit to pull within 6-5 following a Schraeder non-returnable but could not gain the upper hand. The Aggies responded with another 5-0 blitz to give themselves some additional separation, as Shelby Capllonch and Kylee Stokes sparked the run with kills, while Tatum Snell added an ace.
USU extended its advantage to eight points on four occasions, including the final 25-17 margin thanks to a combined block by Stokes and Bella Wooden.
The third frame was unkind to SDSU, which mustered just five kills in the set. Conversely, the Aggies powered down 13 shots on 27 attempts with just three errors for a .370 efficiency. Stall led USU with five put-aways in the frame, while Boyd launched three kills of her own, including two in the early going, along with Stokes, as the hosts grabbed a commanding 10-2 lead they would not relinquish.
Stall (.409) finished with 12 kills to lead all players, while Stokes (.500) tallied seven non-returnables of her own, followed by Turner (.400), who collected six put-aways on the night.
In addition, Stokes tied Boyd for match-high honors with five block assists, while Capllonch scooped up nine digs.
San Diego State concludes its weekend road trip on Saturday, Oct. 8, when it travels to Boise State for a conference match at noon MT/11 a.m. PT. The Aztecs-Broncos clash will be streamed live via the Mountain West Network.
Aztecs Toppled in Three Sets at Utah State
