RENO, Nev. – The San Diego State volleyball team kept its postseason hopes alive with a gritty four-set victory over Nevada (26-24, 25-23, 20-25, 25-16) in a crucial Mountain West match Thursday at Virginia Street Gym.
With the victory, the Aztecs (9-19, 7-10 MW) sweep the season series and forge a tie for sixth place in the league standings with the Wolf Pack, as the top six teams qualify for the MW Championship, Nov. 23-25, in Fort Collins, Colorado.
New Mexico (17-10, 8-9 MW) currently occupies the fifth spot in the conference race and clinched a berth in the MW tournament with a four-set triumph at home over Utah State (19-9, 11-6), which stands in fourth.
Nevada (13-15, 7-10 MW) hosts Fresno State on Saturday in its regular-season finale, while SDSU heads to the Bay Area to face San José State (20-7, 14-3 MW), which locked up the No. 2 seed in the conference after sweeping Fresno State on Thursday.
Despite trailing in team blocks (10.0 to 7.0) and service aces (8-5) and committing more attack errors (28-18) vs. the Wolf Pack, the Aztecs kept their arms swinging, maintaining a decisive 64-42 advantage in kills to help fuel their win. Miscues notwithstanding, SDSU still out-hit the host school as well .235 to.182 after finishing with more attempts (153-132).
Individually, the Aztecs received double-digit kills from three players, including Kayla Rivera (3 aces), who tied her collegiate best with a a season-high 15 put-aways to lead all competitors. In addition, Heipua Tautua'a launched 13 non-returnables, while Julia Haynie matched her career best with 11 kills, hitting .556 for the night with one error in 18 attempts.
Elsewhere, Madison Corf and Elly Schraeder got into the act with nine kills apiece. Corf just missed out on a double-double with a collegiate-high 19 digs, while Schraeder tied for match-high honors with five blocks, including a pair of solo stops.
Along the back row, Ellie Geoghegan led all players with 20 digs, the fifth time this season she has tallied at least 20 scoops, while Noa Miller (31 assists) and Sarena Gonzalez (20 assists) shared the setting chores.
The opening set foreshadowed a tight battle for the match, as the teams combined for 12 ties and six lead changes.
SDSU put itself in the proverbial driver's seat after grabbing a 22-19 lead thanks to a Nevada attack error. However, the Wolf Pack responded with a 4-0 run, as Kayla Afoa and Jordan Schwartz floored consecutive shots and quickly joined forces on a block, while Bella Snyder served up an ace to put the hosts in front.
Undaunted, the Aztecs withstood the challenge with a 4-1 closing run, as Haynie blasted two kills, while Corf launched another and provided the clincher with an ace.
The second stanza witnessed eight additional ties and four lead changes, as neither side managed to give itself more than three points of separation.
SDSU was poised to close out the set after building a 23-20 bulge courtesy of a Nevada back-row attack. Moments later, the Wolf Pack knotted the score following consecutive kills by Gabby McLaughlin and Snyder, with the latter contributing a solo block on the ensuing point. However, the Scarlet and Black avoided disaster once again, as Haynie and Schraeder powered down back-to-back shots to give the Aztecs a commanding 2-0 advantage in sets.
With visions of a sweep, SDSU found itself clinging to a slim 16-14 lead midway through the third frame on a bad set and a Rivera service ace. Shortly thereafter, Nevada vaulted in front for good on a put-away by Afoa, while Schwartz teamed with Sia Liilii on a block.
Tautua'a followed with a kill to narrow the gap to 19-18; however, the Wolf Pack kept the Aztecs at bay with a 6-2 closing run to extend the match. McLaughlin sparked the outburst with three non-returnables, while the visitors committed a pair of attack errors.
Unfazed, SDSU saved its best for last, posting a .464 hitting percentage in the fourth set, launching 17 kills in 28 attempts with just four errors. Tautua'a led the Aztecs with five put-aways in the frame, while Rivera added four.
Nursing a narrow 10-8 advantage, SDSU pulled away with a timely 8-3 run before Nevada called timeout. Tautua'a floored two shots in that span, while Rivera and Schraeder combined on a block. Following the break, the Aztecs flashed their offensive balance, as six different players launched a kill down the stretch, including the clincher by Rivera.
The Wolf Pack were led by Afoa's 12 kills, followed by McLaughlin with nine, while Snyder (6 kills) finished with five blocks in the loss.
San Diego State looks to continue the momentum on Saturday when it squares off against San José State at 2 p.m. PT inside Spartan Gym.
Aztecs Secure Clutch Victory at Nevada, 3-1
