PORTLAND, Ore. – The San Diego State volleyball team survived some anxious moments in its season-opening match Friday against Cal State Fullerton at the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown before pulling away for a four-set triumph (21-25, 25-19, 30-28, 25-16) at Viking Pavilion on the campus of Portland State University.
With the victory, the Aztecs won their fifth straight against the Titans dating back to 2011 and raised their record to 47-5 in the all-time series since 1976.
SDSU maintained the statistical advantage in kills (58-40), digs (69-60) and total blocks (14.5-10.0) to help key their victory. In addition, the Aztec defense held Fullerton to a .090 hitting percentage for the afternoon, including a minus-.179 clip in the decisive fourth set.
Individually, SDSU had three players surpass the double-digit plateau in kills, including Taylor Underwood, who tied for match-high honors with 14 put-aways in her Scarlet and Black debut after transferring from DePaul. In addition, Madison Corf launched 12 non-returnables of her own, while Heipua Tautua'a recorded her 12th career double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs.
The Aztecs' efforts at the net were paced by Elly Schraeder, who totaled six blocks, including a personal-best three solo stuffs, while Kat Cooper racked up five rejections overall, including a solo effort. Along with her defensive performance, Schraeder also knocked down six kills, match fellow middle Julia Haynie, who did not commit an error in 14 attempts to finish with a .429 hitting percentage.
Not to be outdone, Fatimah Hall dished out a match-high 47 assists, completing a double-double with 12 digs in her collegiate debut, while McKenna Douglas anchored the SDSU back row with 21 scoops.
The teams battled through four ties in the opening set before the Titans scored three straight points to break a 16-16 and take the lead for good. Lyla Traylor floored a shot and Ashley Chacon served up an ace before the Aztecs committed an attack error. Trailing 19-16, SDSU narrowed the gap to two points on five occasions down the stretch but could draw no closer. Following another errant attempt, Fullerton clinched the set on a Laura Williams put-away.
The second stanza was another see-saw affair, as the two sides combined for four early ties and three changes. Trailing 9-8, Cara Braun quickly blasted a kill, while Tautua'a followed with consecutive non-returnables of her own to catapult the Scarlet and Black into the lead and ignite a 17-10 closing run. In all, Tautua'a contributed six kills in the frame, hitting .385 in that stretch (6-1-13) to help even the match at one set apiece.
SDSU appeared firmly in control of the third frame but nearly faltered down the stretch before escaping with the set. A quick kill by Hall gave the Aztecs a seemingly comfortable 24-20 advantage. However, the Titans reeled off five straight points, with Williams and Bianca Martinez combining on a block to provide a sudden 25-24 lead. However, Cooper and Underwood joined forces on a block, while Tautua'a followed with a kill to put the Aztecs in front, 26-25.
The teams alternated points on the next six serves before Corf came up huge with a put-away for the clinching point at 30-28. Corf took over the spotlight with five kills in that marathon set, while Haynie floored four of seven shot in that span.
Buoyed by its good fortune, SDSU left no doubt in the fourth stanza, posting a match-best .304 team hitting percentage in the set after launching 12 kills on 23 swings with five errors. In addition, the Aztecs benefited from 10 Fullerton attack errors to help close out the match. Individually, Underwood and Schraeder launched three kills apiece, while Cooper was huge at the net with four blocks in the frame.
SDSU broke open a tight 8-6 score with a timely 9-3 run to build a comfortable 17-9 cushion and was never threatened for the remainder of the day.
Ameena Campbell led the Titans with 14 kills and added 16 digs to complete a double-double, while Nadia Koanui scooped up a match-high 26 digs.
The Aztecs will continue tournament play on Saturday when they square off against Kansas State, starting at 1 p.m. PT.
Aztecs Victorious in Four Sets in Season Opener
