SPOKANE, Wash. – The San Diego State volleyball team posted its third victory via sweep in its last four matches Friday with a 3-0 whitewash of Gonzaga (25-23, 25-22, 25-17) in its opening contest of the Gonzaga Tournament at Charlotte Y. Martin Centre.
Despite a deficiency in team blocks (7.0 to 5.0), the Aztecs maintained the edge in most statistical categories, including kills (39-33), service aces (10-6) and digs (38-32) to raise their record to 4-6 on the season.
SDSU also out-hit the Zags (.221 to .139), posting a .429 efficiency in the third set to help grab a 3-1 lead in the all-time series.
Individually, the Aztecs were paced by Madison Corf's match-high 12 kills, while Julia Haynie and Taylor Underwood finished with eight put-aways, three blocks and two service aces apiece. Haynie hit .636 for the night, committing just one error in 11 attempts, while Underwood finished with a .300 efficiency (8-2-20).
McKenna Douglas led the SDSU back row with eight digs and added a pair of aces, while Heipua Tautua'a flashed her versatility with four kills and six digs while serving up a match-high three aces.
The Aztec cause was also buoyed by the setting combo of Fatimah Hall (20 assists, 5 digs) and Sarena Gonzalez (15 assists, 3 digs).
After four early ties in the opening, SDSU appeared to seize control after a combined block by Haynie and Underwood gave the visitors a 19-14 advantage. However, Gonzaga reeled off five straight points to knot the score once again, benefitting from a trio of Aztec miscues after a Jody Smith solo block and an Alisa Kim ace.
Undaunted, the Scarlet and Black kept the Zags at bay with a 6-4 closing run, highlighted by two Mikela Labno kills, including the clinching point, while Underwood, Haynie and Corf each floored a shot the stretch.
SDSU survived nine attack errors in the frame, owning a slim edge in kills (14-11) and aces (4-2) to help provide the winning margin.
Save for a 10-10 deadlock, the Aztecs led throughout the second stanza, building a trio of seven-point cushions, including a 21-14 spread following an Elly Schraeder kill. Gonzaga responded with a 6-1 blitz to narrow the gap but could not draw closer.
Juliette Russell knocked down two kills during that span, while the Scarlet and Black was plagued by two wayward attacks and a ball-handling error, allowing the host school trim the margin to 22-20.
However, the Zags suffered a reversal of fortune with two attack errors of their own and a bad set. Shortly thereafter, Haynie supplied a kill for the winning point to give the Aztecs a commanding 2-0 lead in sets.
SDSU nursed a slim 11-9 lead in the third frame before Gonzaga responded with four straight points, including consecutive aces by Viktoriya Ivanova sandwiched between a Fallon Thompson kill and a combined block by Smith and Russell.
However, the Aztecs turned the tables with four consecutive tallies to vault in front for good at 15-13. Haynie floored two shots in that stretch, while Corf added another, with the hosts committing a bad set as well.
The Zags twice pulled within one, including a 16-15 margin after Smith launched a non-returnable, but could draw no closer. SDSU gave itself some late separation with a 9-2 closing blitz, highlighted by Tautua'a's three aces. Underwood also got into the act with three kills in that stretch, while Schraeder's quick kill ended the match.
The Aztecs saved their best for last, hitting .429 in the final frame with 15 kills against three errors on 28 attempts. Underwood blasted five put-aways without an error on six swings for a .556 efficiency in the set, while Douglas and Bailey Darnell contributed four digs apiece.
Smith, Thompson and Zoe Thiros finished with eight kills apiece for Gonzaga in the loss. Thiros just missed a double-double after totaling 11 digs for the evening, while Smith racked up five blocks, including three solo efforts.
San Diego State closes out its brief stay in the Evergreen State on Saturday when it squares off against Eastern Washington in its final match of the Gonzaga Tournament. First serve is set for 11 a.m. PT.
Aztecs Open Gonzaga Tourney With Sweep of Zags
