SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Diego State volleyball team clinched a spot in the Mountain West Championship with a dramatic 3-1 victory (25-23, 25-20, 22-25, 26-24) over San José State on Saturday at Spartan Gym.
With the win, the Aztecs (10-19, 8-10 MW) secured the sixth and final seed in the conference tournament and dealt the Spartans (20-8, 14-4 MW) their only home loss of the 2022 campaign in 10 matches.
SDSU will next face tournament host Colorado State (19-10, 12-6 MW) in a first-round clash on Wednesday, Nov. 23 at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado, starting at 4 p.m. MT/3 p.m. PT.
If the Aztecs defeat the Rams, they will square off against SJSU once again on Thursday, Nov. 24 in a semifinal encounter beginning at 4 p.m. MT/3 p.m. PT. By virtue of their second-place league finish, the Spartans received a first-round bye.
In Saturday's triumph in the Bay Area, SDSU was led by Heipua Tautua'a, who notched her sixth double-double of the season with a career-best 19 kills and contributed 16 digs, tying Ellie Geoghegan in the latter statistic for match-high honors. In addition, the Aztecs received 14 kills from Kayla Rivera, while Elly Schraeder posted a team-best six blocks, including a pair of solo stuff.
Elsewhere, Julia Haynie hit .500 for the match, blasting nine kills in 16 attempts with one error, while Tautua'a finished with a .405 efficiency, committing just four miscues in the 37 swings.
As customary, the SDSU setter responsibilities were shared by Noa Miller, who just missed a double-double on a match-high 26 assists with nine digs, while Sarena Gonzalez dished out 16 helpers of her own.
Despite 10 service errors and a deficiency in team blocks (13.0 to 11.0), the Aztecs maintained a hefty 60-45 advantage in kills and a 67-63 edge in digs to help spark their win. Neither side hit particularly well, with the Scarlet and Black recording a .185 clip, compared to a .113 efficiency for the Spartans.
Nevertheless, the contest featured many ebbs and flows, with the two teams combining for 39 ties and 16 lead changes in the 2-hour-and-15-minute battle.
SDSU logged its best hitting percentage of the afternoon with a .333 clip in the opening set, launching 21 kills on 45 attempts with six errors. Tautua'a floored six shots in the frame, while Rivera blasted four put-aways of her own.
Still, the set witnessed nine ties and four lead changes. Trailing 20-18 after a wayward serve, the Aztecs fought themselves off the ropes with a 7-3 closing run to escape with the set. Tautua'a took matters into her own hands with three kills and a solo block down the stretch, while Rivera and Kennedy Feuerborn each floored a shot. SDSU was also the beneficiary of two off-target attacks by the hosts, including one on the final point to account for the clincher.
Tautua'a continued her barrage in the second stanza with five additional kills, while Rivera and Madison Corf contribute three apiece in that span.
The scored was deadlocked on nine occasions in the set, including a 17-17 tie following a kill by the Spartans' Jiana Lawson. However, the Aztecs never let the host school grab the upper hand for the remainder of the frame, as Rivera and Schraeder each smashed a kill sandwiched around a Corf service ace to put the visitors in front for good.
Rivera teamed with Schraeder on a block moments later, while Tautua'a provided two late kills, including the clincher, to cap another strong 8-3 closing run.
SDSU seemed poised for a sweep after building a 21-18 lead in the third set courtesy of a Corf kill. However, SJSU caught lighting in a bottle at this juncture, crafting a 7-1 outburst to extend the match. Haylee Nelson sparked the Spartans with three late put-aways, including the clincher, while Brooke Bryant came through with a solo stuff and another combined block with Madeline Boerstra.
The contest eroded into a defensive struggle in the fourth set, with each side committing more attack errors than kills. The Aztecs were victimized by 14 off-target swings against 13 kills (-.023), while SJSU mustered just eight put-aways against 10 miscues (-.051) in that stretch.
The set was no less dramatic, as the teams combined for 11 ties and four lead changes. SDSU raced to an early 8-2 lead following a combined block by Haynie and Rivera.
However, the host school fashioned a 13-5 blitz to take a 15-13 lead, as Lawson joined forces with Blaire Fleming and Bryant on a pair of blocks while adding a solo stop and a kill to ignite the outburst. In addition, Sarah Smevog served up a pair of aces.
The teams traded proverbial punches before the Spartans reached set point on another Lawson put-away. But SJSU abruptly ran out of steam, committing a service error along with an errant attack on the final point, while Haynie blasted a kill in the interim.
Nelson (15) and Fleming (13) combined for 28 of the Spartans' 28 kills, while Bryant led all players with seven blocks.
All conference tournament matches next week will be streamed on the Mountain West Network and the MW App, which is available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Android TV and both Apple and Android phones.
The MW regular-season title was secured by UNLV, which enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Rebels ended the regular season with a 26-3 record, including 17-1 mark in league play, and received a first-round bye as well.
Prior to the SDSU-Colorado State match on Wednesday, fourth-seeded Utah State will battle No. 5 seed New Mexico at 1 p.m. MT/noon PT, with the winner facing UNLV on Thursday.
Aztecs Clinch Berth in MW Championship
