LA JOLLA, Calif. – The San Diego State volleyball team finished its weekend on a sour note after dropping a narrow three-set decision to Navy (23-25, 24-26, 21-25) on Saturday in the UC San Diego Invitational at LionTree Arena.
Despite maintaining the statistical advantage in kills (40-34), hitting percentage (.260 to .212) and digs (40-31), the Aztecs were undone by nine service aces by the Mids, who also owned the edge in team blocks (9.0 to 4.0) to escape with the victory.
With the result, Navy completed a 3-0 record in the round-robin tournament, improving to 8-1 on the season, while SDSU experienced its first loss of the event, falling to 3-6 overall.
Individually, Taylor Underwood led all players with 11 kills, while Julia Haynie and Mikela Labno launched eight non-returnables apiece. Haynie (.467) and Labno (.462) posted nearly identical hitting percentage, combined for just three errors on an aggregate 28 attempts, while Madison Corf added seven put-aways of her own.
In addition, Sarena Gonzalez (19 assists) and Fatimah Hall (12 assists) customarily shared the setting responsibilities, while McKenna Douglas and Heipua Tautua'a tied for match-high honors with nine digs each. Not to be outdone, Haynie totaled a season-high four blocks, including a pair of solo stops.
The fiercely contested match witnessed a combined 22 ties and seven lead changes in the first two sets that saw the Aztecs own a collective 26-20 edge in kills.
SDSU was unable to build on a three-point lead midway through the opening frame, as a Corf put-away gave the Scarlet and Black a 14-11 advantage. However, Navy received a kill by Jamie Llewellyn and a combined block by Averi Miller and Maggie Bodman to remain in contention.
The Aztecs enjoyed a series of one-point leads down the stretch, including a 23-22 spread following a Mids service error. However, SDSU's ensuing serve went awry, while Navy's Paige Buzzerio subsequently followed with an ace before the Mids were gifted a point on a wayward Aztec attack to steal the set.
The teams battled through a see-saw affair in the second stanza that saw the Scarlet and Black own a sizable 15-7 edge in kills. Underwood accounted for five of those put-aways, while Tautua'a added three. However, SDSU was plagued by five service errors, while the Mids added to the Aztecs' woes with five aces and four team blocks.
SDSU crafted four late two-point leads, including a 23-21 advantage following Kat Cooper's kill. However, a subsequent service error and a joint block by Doris Nelson and Anna Klemeyer knotted the score. Still, the Aztecs had a chance to close out the set after Labno floored a shot on the ensuing point.
Misfortune promptly reared its head for SDSU in the form of a bad set, while Klemeyer joined forces with Nelson and Llewellyn on consecutive blocks, allowing Navy to escape once again.
Stung, the Aztecs displayed their resolve in the third frame, looking to extend the match after racing to a 16-9 lead on the heels of a Haynie kill.
However, a strong finishing kick once again proved elusive, as the Mids caught proverbial lightning in a bottle with a timely 16-5 closing blitz to abruptly end the match. Four Llewellyn kills proved too much to overcome, while Nelson added three down the stretch.
In addition, Bodman teamed with Llewellyn and Miller on consecutive blocks to spark the run, while Klemeyer and Llewellyn's twin sister Jordan combined on another late stop.
Jamie Llewellyn led Navy with 10 kills, while Bodman and Klemeyer finished with four block assists apiece in the win.
San Diego State returns to the court on Friday, Sept. 15, when it returns to the Pacific Northwest to face Gonzaga in Spokane, Washington, to open the Bulldogs' home tournament. First serve is set for 6 p.m. PT.
Aztecs Fall in Narrow Three-Setter to Navy
