SPOKANE, Wash. – The San Diego State volleyball team completed its second straight sweep at the Gonzaga Tournament with a 3-0 triumph (25-21, 25-19, 25-17) over Eastern Washington on Saturday in its final non-conference match of the 2023 campaign at Charlotte Y. Martin Centre.
Although each side committed 12 attack errors apiece, the Aztecs owned a sizable advantage in kills (46-28) and served up more aces (7-3) to secure their fourth victory in their last five outings and raise their record to 5-6 on the year.
SDSU posted a greater efficiency, finishing with its second-best hitting percentage of the season at .298, while the Eagles (5-6) posted a .168 clip for the match, falling to 0-4 in the all-time series.
Once again, the Aztecs featured a balanced attack, with five players amassing five kills or more. Taylor Underwood led all players with 12 put-aways and tied her career-high with five service aces, while Mikela Labno also reached the double-digit plateau, launching 10 non-returnables on 19 swings without an error for a .526 efficiency.
In addition, Julia Haynie knocked down six kills of her own against one miscue in 11 swings for a .455 clip, while Madison Corf and Heipua Tautua'a (7 digs) smashed five put-aways apiece.
Elsewhere, the SDSU cause was buoyed by Fatimah Hall, who handed out 21 assists and compiled seven digs, sharing the setter duties with Sarena Gonzalez (16 assists), while McKenna Douglas topped the squad with 12 digs, followed closely by Bailey Darnell's 10 scoops.
The Aztecs gave themselves some separation in the latter stages of the opening set, crafting a 21-14 lead following consecutive kills by Elly Schraeder and Underwood. However, EWU responded with six straight points, aided by three errant attacks and a misdirected serve by the visitors, while Sadie Bacon contributed two aces to pull the host school to within one, 21-20.
Unfazed, SDSU received a clutch kill from Hall to spark a 4-1 closing spurt and keep the Eagles at bay. Underwood also floored two shots down the stretch, including the clincher, while Haynie added another put-away.
Haynie hit .800 for the set after blasting four kills on five swings without an error, while Underwood led all players with five non-returnables in the frame while serving up two aces.
The teams battled through eight ties and five lead changes early in the second stanza before the Aztecs took charge. With the score knotted at 11-11, SDSU unleashed a 6-0 flurry, highlighted by three Labno kills and a Darnell ace. Moments later, the Scarlet and Black received a combined block by Schraeder and Labno, while Tautua'a joined forces with Amber Keen on another stop, giving the Aztecs an insurmountable 22-14 lead. EWU could not trim the deficit to under five points the rest of the way, as Underwood smashed another clinching kill.
Labno took center stage for the set, blasting eight kills, while Tautua'a added three. In addition, Darnell notched seven of her digs to anchor the SDSU defense.
With a commanding 2-0 lead in sets, the Aztecs left no doubt in the third frame, racing to a 14-3 lead on the strength of four Corf kills along with three put-aways by Underwood, who also provided three consecutive aces to punctuate the run. The Eagles twice narrowed the gap to five, including a 15-10 spread following a Bri Gunderson kill.
However, the deficit proved too much to overcome, as SDSU received some ample contributions from its bench in the latter stages of the set, with Campbell Hague, Reagan Merk and Keen each knocking down a kill to help secure the sweep.
Collectively, the Aztecs hit at a .429 clip in the final stanza with 17 kills against three errors in 34 attempts, while the defense limited EWU to just six put-aways on 22 swings in that span.
Gunderson and Kalista Lukovich led the Eagles with seven kills apiece, while Makenna Collins finished with a match-high 13 digs. In addition, Gunderson finished with four blocks, including a solo stop in the loss.
San Diego Stats opens Mountain West play on Tuesday, Sept. 19, with a road match at UNLV, starting at 6:30 p.m. PT inside Cox Pavilion. The Aztecs-Rebels clash will air live on the Mountain West Network in the first of the league's Tuesday Night Block Party matches this season.
Aztecs Defeat EWU, 3-0, for Second Straight Sweep
