SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team came up empty at its home tournament this weekend after falling to UC Santa Barbara in three sets Saturday by scores of 22-25, 21-25, 16-25 in its final match of the SDSU Invitational on Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.
The Aztecs (1-5) were stymied for the fifth straight outing after the Gauchos maintained the statistical advantage in most categories, including kills (41-30), hitting percentage (.289 to .093) and team blocks (9.0 to 3.0). In addition, UCSB (5-1) owned a slight edge in service aces (6-3) and digs (41-40) to help fuel their win.
Individually, Madison Corf led the Scarlet and Black with nine kills, while Taylor Underwood launched five put-aways of her own to go with a service ace. In addition, the SDSU cause was aided by Julia Haynie, who finished with four kills and a pair of block assists, while McKenna Douglas anchored the back row with 13 digs.
Elsewhere, Sarena Gonzalez handed out 14 assists, splitting the setter chores with Fatimah Hall (6 assists), while Heipua Tautua'a chipped defensively with 10 digs.
After four early ties in the opening set, SDSU surged into the lead at 16-13 following an errant UCSB attack. However, the Gauchos caught proverbial lightning in a bottle with a timely 10-1 run to seize control. UCSB received two kills apiece from Tasia Farmer and Andi Kreiling, with the latter joining forces with Michelle Ohwebete on a block.
Suddenly trailing 23-18, the Aztecs fought back to trim the margin to 24-22, benefiting from a pair of Gaucho service errors, while Corf and Elly Schraeder each knocked down a kill. However, SDSU's faint comeback hopes were vanquished when Ohwebete floored a shot to secure the set. Ohwebete led all players with six put-aways in the frame, while Haynie paced the host school with three kills of her own.
The Aztecs found themselves in pursuit mode for much of the second stanza, as UCSB eventually forged a 22-15 lead following Grace Wuischpard's solo block. SDSU tightened the score withfourth straight points thanks to kills by Underwood and Corf alternating between a pair of Gaucho attack error. However, the visitors kept the Aztecs at bay, as Wuischpard supplied the clinching kill.
Despite four kills apiece from Underwood and Corf in the set, as well as two Mikela Labno block assists, SDSU was unable to overcome seven attack errors in that span, finishing with a .083 efficiency on 36 attempts.
The Aztecs tried to extend the match after nursing a slim 6-5 advantage early in the third frame thanks to a Corf kill. However, UCSB derailed those plans with a 14-4 run that effectively put the score out of reach. Two aces by Briana McKnight and one apiece by Grace McIntosh and Ohwebete keyed the run, with the latter also providing a kill.
In all, the Gauchos served up five aces in the set, while Kreiling and McKnight notched two kills apiece. Cara Braun came off the bench to launch three non-returnables down the stretch, matching Corf for team-high honors in the frame. UCSB posted its best hitting percentage of the afternoon with a .385 efficiency, knocking down 12 kills against two errors in 26 attempts, compared to SDSU's .088 clip (10-7-34).
Ohwebete finished with a match-high 10 kills for the Gauchos, while Farmer and McKnight racked up seven put-aways each. In addition, Wuischpard (5 kills) led all players with five blocks, including a solo stop, while Macall Peed registered a match-best 19 digs.
San Diego State returns to the court on Thursday, Sept. 7, when it travels across town to battle UCSD in the opener of the UC San Diego Invitational, starting at 6 p.m. PT inside LionTree Arena. The Aztecs will also square off against Denver and Navy on successive days at the tournament.
Aztecs Stumble in a Three-Set Defeat to UCSB
