Aztecs Avoid Stumble vs. Portland State, Regroup for Five-Set Victory
The San Diego State volleyball team survived an upset bid by winless Portland State on Friday, capturing a gritty five-set triumph (25-10, 21-25, 18-25, 25-21, 15-13) in its second match of the SDSU Invitational inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State volleyball team survived an upset bid by winless Portland State on Friday, capturing a gritty five-set triumph (25-10, 21-25, 18-25, 25-21, 15-13) in its second match of the SDSU Invitational inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.
With the win, the Aztecs notched their third-straight victory and improved to 4-1 for the first time since 2019.
SDSU was paced by a three-pronged attack of Shea Rubright, Madison Corf and Taylor Underwood, who blasted 44 of the team’s 65 kills and posted a collective .480 hitting percentage.
Rubright powered down a collegiate-best 17 kills and recorded a stellar .640 efficiency for the night to lead all players, committing just one error on 25 attempts, while adding three blocks, including a solo effort.
In addition, the Aztecs received 14 put-aways from Madison Corf (.345), who logged her fourth career double-double after collecting 14 digs, while Taylor Underwood launched 13 non-returnables of her own, hitting at a .476 clip with just three miscues on 21 swings
SDSU’s offensive production also featured six kills apiece from Campbell Hague and Natalie Hughes (.385), with the latter establishing a career high as well.
Elsewhere, Gianna Bender supported the Aztecs’ defensive efforts with 10 digs to go with a season-high three aces, while Fatimah Hall (27 assists) and Andrea Campos (20 assists) split the majority of the setting chores.
Despite trailing in team blocks (9.0 to 6.0) and service aces (8-6), the Aztecs maintained the edge in kills (65-57) and digs (53-49) to help fuel their win.
The match featured many twists and turns, with the Scarlet and Black facing an 18-15 deficit in the pivotal fourth set after the Vikings (0-5) claimed the second and third stanzas.
However, the Aztecs escaped the jaws of defeat with a decisive 10-3 run to even the contest at two sets apiece. The Aztecs received two kills down the stretch from Underwood, who also combined with Rubright on a block. In addition, SDSU benefited greatly from Portland State’s inopportune mistakes, as the visitors suffered two wayward serves and a pair of unforced attack errors in that span.
Buoyed by their good fortune, the Aztecs raced to a 10-4 lead in the fifth set, aided by three more Underwood kills and another by Rubright. The Vikings would not go quietly, crafting a furious 9-4 blitz, as Naomi White joined Carisa Barron and Sydney Stenson on a pair of blocks, respectively, to narrow the gap to 14-13.
Cara Braun entered as late substitute and promptly ended the marathon evening with a clinching kill, as the SDSU bench erupted in jubilation.
Nicoll and Makayla Lewis totaled 12 kills apiece for Portland State, while Reese Biesemeyer launched nine put-aways of her own. In addition, Nicoll (11 digs) and Ella Hartford (26 assists, 10 digs) each completed a double-double, while White led all players with seven block assists in the loss.
From the outset, it appeared the Aztecs would make quick work of the Vikings after posting a 25-10 rout in the opening frame. The Scarlet and Black hit a blistering .727 clip in the set, knocking down 16 kills in 27 attempts without an error.
However, SDSU was unable to maintain that frenetic pace, hitting a combined .179 in the second and third stanzas. Conversely, Portland State logged a .288 efficiency in that span to help climb back into contention.
Still, the Aztecs sprinted to a 10-4 lead in the second set, punctuated by Corf and Amber Keen’s joint block and Rubright’s service ace. The Vikings gradually seized momentum with a furious 16-7 run to vault in front by a 20-17 margin. Kills by Corf and Kat Cooper sandwiched around a PSU attack error knotted the score at 20-20.
The Vikings kept the Scarlet and Black at bay for the remainder of the set thanks to a Nicoll kill and solo block while Lewis served up an ace.
After six early ties and three lead changes, the Aztecs found themselves in pursuit mode for much of the third set, as the visitors built an insurmountable 21-14 lead, eventually setting the stage for a crucial momentum change late in the following stanza.
San Diego State looks to complete a weekend sweep at its home tournament on Saturday when it battles Tulane, starting at 3 p.m. PT. The Green Wave (2-3) dropped a narrow four-set decision to DePaul earlier on Friday afternoon.