LARAMIE, Wyo. – The San Diego State volleyball team closed out its weekend excursion in style Saturday with a 3-1 victory over the Wyoming Cowgirls (17-25, 27-25, 25-21, 25-16) in a Mountain West match at Arena-Auditorium.
The Aztecs (7-8, 2-2 MW) received double-digit kills from three players, including Taylor Underwood, who smashed a season-best and match-high 15 put-aways, while Heipua Tautua'a and Julia Haynie launched 10 non-returnables apiece, helping the Scarlet and Back emerge triumphant in Laramie for the second year in a row and deal Wyoming (11-4, 0-4) its fourth consecutive loss to start conference play.
The SDSU cause was also bolstered by Fatimah Hall, who logged her second career double-double with 26 assists and 10 digs, sharing the setting duties with Sarena Gonzalez, who handed out 19 helpers, while McKenna Douglas led all players with 17 digs on the night.
Despite trailing in team blocks 16.0 to 11.0, the Aztecs maintained sizable advantages in kills (54-39) and digs (63-42), limiting the Cowgirls to a paltry .111 attack percentage, including a minus-.125 clip in the decisive fourth set.
Elsewhere, Underwood and Haynie each served up a pair of aces, while Elly Schraeder matched her season-high with six blocks, including two solo rejections. Additionally, Campbell Hague set a season-best with eight kills, while Madison Corf contributed four blocks, including a solo stop, to go with four kills.
Despite posting four more kills in the opening set (11-7), the Aztecs were plagued by 10 errant attacks, as the Cowgirls held a 6-0 advantage in team blocks and a 4-0 edge in service aces to keep the visitors at bay.
SDSU forged a trio of two-point leads, including a 5-3 spread following a Haynie kill. However, Wyoming reeled off six straight points to seize the upper hand, as Tierney Barlow joined forces with Kasia Partyka and Corin Carruth on a pair of blocks during that span.
The Aztecs remained within striking distance, as Underwood floored a shot to narrow the gap to 15-12. The Cowgirls responded with another timely run, scoring five straight points to put the set essentially out of reach at 20-12. Rylee Schulz highlighted the surge with two aces, while Barlow added a solo block.
Wyoming put the set on ice with two additional rejections down the stretch, as Sarah Holcomb combined with Carruth and Paige Lauterwasser for consecutive blocks, while Schulz followed with a clinching kill.
The Cowgirls seemed poised to take a 2-0 lead in sets after building a 23-20 advantage in the second stanza courtesy of an SDSU attack error. However, the Aztecs flashed their resiliency, crafting an improbable 7-2 closing run, which changed the complexion of the match. Underwood came through in the clutch with a solo stuff and two kills, including the set winner.
Underwood totaled six kills during the frame, while Tautua'a added four put-aways, as the Scarlet and Black posted its highest attack percentage of the night with a .282 efficiency (18-7-39).
Buoyed by its newfound momentum, SDSU held the Cowgirls to a combined 15 kills and a minus-.031 efficiency over the final two sets to pull away for the victory.
Still, the two sides witnessed seven ties in the third frame, including a 17-17 deadlock following a Partyka kill. However, Underwood took matters into her own hands once again, blasting three kills and serving up an ace to highlight a 4-1 blitz that put the visitors in front for good at 21-18.
Moments later, Corf joined the block party with a solo stuff and teamed with Mikela Labno on another rejection, while Haynie knocked down a kill for the clincher.
After four ties early in the fourth set, including a 6-6 score following another Partyka put-away, the Aztecs wasted little time to seize control thanks to a timely 10-4 blitz. Consecutive kills by Hague punctuated the run, giving the Scarlet and Black an insurmountable 16-10 advantage.
Tautua'a took center stage down the stretch with three kills, one solo block and another combined stop with Schraeder, who also joined forces with Hague and Corf in that span.
The Cowgirls mustered just six kills against 10 errors in the frame on 32 swings for a minus-.125 efficiency.
The Aztecs weathered a nine-block performance from Holcomb, who finished with three solo rejections, while Barlow totaled seven stops of her own, including two solo efforts. Additionally, Barlow racked up nine kills in the loss, tying Schulz for team-high honors.
San Diego State returns home for a pair of conference matches next week when it battles Air Force on Thursday, Oct. 5, followed by a clash with New Mexico on Saturday, Oct. 7.
Aztecs Surge Past Wyoming in Four Sets
