PORTLAND, Ore. – The San Diego State volleyball team concluded its weekend excursion to the Pacific Northwest on a sour note Sunday, falling to host Portland State in three sets (22-25, 22-25, 19-25) at the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown inside Viking Pavilion.
Despite a deadlock in team kills (40-40), the Aztecs committed five more attack errors (17-12), finishing with a lower hitting percentage (.221 to .311) to drop to 1-2 on the young season.
In addition, the Vikings owned a statistical edge in serve aces (7-5), team blocks (6.0-5.0) and digs (41-34) to help fuel their victory and raise their record to 2-1 overall.
Individually, SDSU was paced by Madison Corf, who finished with 11 kills and hit .474 for the match, committing just two errors on 19 attempts, while Kat Cooper blasted six put-aways of her own.
In addition, the Aztecs received five kills apiece from Julia Haynie (.500), Mikela Labno and Taylor Underwood, while McKenna Douglas posted 14 digs and served up a pair of aces. Once again, Fatimah Hall (16 assists) and Sarena Gonzalez (15 assists) split the setting duties.
The opening set was arguably the most competitive of the day, with the teams combining for 10 ties and six lead changes. Corf notched five of her kills in the frame to go with two blocks, including a solo stop.
With the score knotted at 20-20, SDSU self-destructed down the stretch, committing three service errors, including the one on the final serve to give the set to Portland State. In addition, the Vikings received a late kill from Lauryn Anderson, while Sophia Meyers contributed a solo block.
Unfazed, the Aztecs raced to an early 6-2 lead in the second stanza, thanks in part to Cooper and Corf, who launched two non-returnables apiece in that span, while Douglas added an ace.
However, PSU methodically turned the tables with a timely 12-4 run, building a 15-10 advantage after consecutive kills by Jasmine Powell. SDSU twice narrowed the gap to two points, including an 18-16 spread following a Corf put-away. The Aztecs were unable to pull even, as the Vikings closed with a 7-6 spurt, aided by Gabby Hollins' back-to-back service aces, while Anderson and Ashleigh Barto each knocked down a kill, with the latter supplying the clinching point.
In all, SDSU was haunted by four aces and four attack errors in the set despite maintaining a 16-14 edge in kills during that stretch.
Facing an 0-2 deficit on the set scoreboard, the Aztecs were unable to generate a consistent attack in the third frame, posting a .097 efficiency on 11 kills against eight errors in 31 attempts. Haynie floored four of seven shots in the set, while Cooper and Mikela Labno added two kills apiece.
Nursing a slim 12-10 advantage, SDSU was once again victimized by untimely misfortune, as the Vikings vaulted into the lead after an errant Aztec serve, a Meyers ace and a combined block from Barto and Powell.
SDSU remained within striking distance, as a Labno kill trimmed the deficit to 16-15. However, Portland State scored three straight points to ignite a 9-4 finishing run and keep the Scarlet and Black at bay. The Vikings benefited from three unforced Aztec attack errors and a mishandled ball down the stretch, while Hollins registered a pair of kills, along with one apiece from Meyers and Powell.
Hollins led all players with 17 kills for the day, while Meyers just missed a double-double with nine put-aways and nine digs. In addition, Paige Stepaniuk finished with a match-high 19 digs.
San Diego State returns home next weekend when it plays host to the SDSU Invitational, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym. The Aztecs will play host to No. 9 Oregon, Pepperdine, UC Santa Barbara on successive days.
Aztec Fall in Weekend Finale at Portland State
