SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team was unable to recover after surrendering a big lead in the second set of Friday's match against Pepperdine, suffering a tough 3-0 defeat (17-25, 26-28, 21-25) in the SDSU Invitational on Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.
With the loss, the Aztecs (1-4) dropped their fourth straight decision, while the Waves (1-3) broke into the win-column for the first time this season.
Despite maintaining a slight 39-35 advantage in kills and a 38-35 margin in digs, SDSU was plagued by 30 attack errors in 111 attempts, finishing with a .081 hitting percentage for the night, while Pepperdine posted a .329 efficiency, committing just seven miscues on 85 swings. In addition, the Aztecs found themselves trailing in team blocks (11.0 to 3.0) and service aces (7-6).
Four of those aces belonged to Madison Corf, who set a career-high in that category, and was the lone SDSU player to surpass the double-digit kill plateau with a match-high 12 put-aways on Friday. Additionally, Taylor Underwood and Mikela Labno blasted six kills apiece, while Kat Cooper racked up three block assists.
Elsewhere, Sarena Gonzalez (19 assists) and Fatimah Hall (13 assists) alternated the Aztec setting chores, while McKenna Douglas anchored the back row with 12 digs.
After four ties early in the first set, the Waves unleashed an 11-2 blitz to break a 7-7 deadlock and build a commanding 18-9 advantage. Vanessa Polk keyed the run with a kill and a pair of blocks, including a solo stop, while Grace Chillingworth launched two non-returnables of her own. In a more ominous sign, Pepperdine also benefited from five unforced attack errors in that span.
SDSU was unable to trim the margin to under six points the rest of the way despite two kills apiece from Underwood and Labno down the stretch. Fittingly, the Waves secured the clinching point on an errant Aztec attack. In all, SDSU finished with a minus-.026 hitting percentage for the set, compiling 13 kills against 14 miscues on 39 attempts. Conversely, Pepperdine hit at a .296 clip, committing just one error against nine kills in 27 swings.
San Diego State momentarily flipped the script in the second stanza, capitalizing on some sloppy Waves passing, including two bad sets and a ball-handling error to help build a seemingly safe 20-12 cushion.
Bolstered by a strong middle presence, Pepperdine stormed back at this juncture, posting four team blocks to spark a furious 12-3 rally, which incredibly put the visitors ahead, 24-23. Kenadie Patterson accounted for three of those stops, including a pair of combined efforts with Avery Shimaitis following a solo stuff. Two kills by Emily Hellmuth also helped whittle the deficit, while Patterson and Shimaitis each floored a shot.
After the Waves nudged in front on another joint block from Polk and Isabel Zelaya, SDSU still had two chances to stem the tide down the stretch. The Aztecs reclaimed a pair of one-point leads following a Cooper kill and an errant Pepperdine attack. With the score knotted at 26-26, however, the Waves completed the dramatic comeback thanks to an Aztec attack that went awry, while Laine Briggs served up an ace.
Chillingworth (5) and Patterson (4) combined for nine of the Waves' 17 kills in the set, as the visitors finished with a .433 clip, committing four errors on 30 attempts, compared to SDSU's .121 efficiency (12-8-33).
The Aztecs stumbled out of the gates in the third frame and fell behind 6-1 thanks in part to consecutive Birdie Hendrickson service aces and a Hellmuth kill.
Unfazed, the Scarlet and Black flashed its mettle, as consecutive kills by Julia Haynie capped a frantic 12-7 run to tie the score at 13-13. However, SDSU could not seize the upper hand, forging another deadlock at 18-18 following a Corf service ace and another Haynie put-away.
The Aztecs found themselves in pursuit mode the rest of the way, as a service error and another combined block by Polk and Zelaya put the visitors ahead to stay.
Trailing 21-18 after another misguided attack, SDSU pulled to within one at 21-20 courtesy of back-to-back kills by Hague and Elly Schraeder. However, Hendrickson's put-away and Zelaya's ace keyed a 4-1 closing spurt to end the match.
Chillingworth led the Waves with 10 kills, while Hendrickson and Hellmuth finished with seven apiece. In addition, Kenadie Patterson (5 kills) racked up six blocks, including a solo effort, while Zelaya and Riley Patterson recorded match highs of 30 assists and 13 digs in the win, respectively.
San Diego State closes out its home tournament on Saturday when it battles UC Santa Barbara at 3:30 p.m. PT. The Aztecs-Gauchos clash will air live on the Mountain West Network. UCSB (4-1) was swept by No. 6 Oregon on Friday afternoon.
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