Aztecs Complete Reverse Sweep in Thriller Over Colorado State

SAN DIEGO – Bolstered by Talea Mitchell’s career-high 24 kills, the San Diego State volleyball team engineered a reverse sweep of Colorado State on Thursday, winning a five-set thriller (19-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-20, 15-11) in a Mountain West clash inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.

Taylor Underwood and Jasmine Davis also contributed 10 put-aways each, helping the Aztecs raise their record to 12-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play. In addition, SDSU’s 12-5 ledger equals its best start to a season since the 2011 campaign and gives Brent Hilliard his 100th career victory as a head coach.

Conversely, the Rams dropped their second straight, slipping to 9-8 on the year and 5-2 in MW action.

Making her fifth consecutive start and seventh of the season, Mitchell hit .347 for the night, committing just seven errors in 49 attempts while adding four block assists to tie Shea Rubright for match-high honors. Rubright (.368) just missed the double-digit plateau with nine kills while serving up three aces.

In addition, Davis completed her second straight double-double and fifth of the year after collecting 11 digs to go with three service aces of her own, while Andrea Campos duplicated the feat with 25 assists and 11 digs, sharing the setting chores with Fatimah Hall (19 assists, 8 digs).

Elsewhere, the Aztecs received a huge boost from Natalie Hughes (.600), who launched six kills off the bench without an error in 10 swings, while Kat Cooper floored six shots of her own to go with three block assists. Not to be outdone, Gianna Bender led all players with 17 digs to anchor the Aztec back row.

The two teams were evenly matched, with the Aztecs holding a slight edge in kills (67-65) and team blocks (8.0 to 7.0). Additionally, the Scarlet and Black served up a season-high 11 aces to help key their victory.  

After hitting just .062 in the opening set with 10 kills offset by eight errors in 32 attempts, San Diego State posted a .333 efficiency for the remainder of the match to fuel its comeback efforts.

Trailing 2-0 in sets, the Aztecs began their gradual climb back into contention by maintaining the upper hand throughout the third frame. Mitchell (.385) launched six kills in that span, while Cooper, Rubright and Underwood totaled two apiece.

The Scarlet and Black built a series of five-point leads, including a 15-10 spread following a Rubright put-away, before CSU trimmed the margin to 17-16 moments later on a joint block by Naeemah Weathers and Emery Herman. However, SDSU responded with an 8-5 closing run to keep the visitors at bay and extend the match. The Aztecs received two kills down the stretch from Underwood, while Rubright floored a shot for the clinching point after combining with Mitchell on block, sandwiched around a Campos ace.

SDSU stumbled out of the gates in the fourth stanza, slipping into a 9-5 hole after a kill by the Rams’ Malaya Jones. However, the Aztecs flashed their renowned resiliency with a timely 14-4 blitz to seize control at 19-13.

Davis spun two aces in that span, while Underwood smashed three kills. Cooper and Mitchell also got into the act with a combined block before Keira Herron served up an ace, while Rubright powered down a kill to punctuate the run. Following a CSU timeout, Davis left no doubts down the stretch, contributing a solo block sprinkled within three kills, including the clincher, to help send the contest into a deciding fifth set.

The Aztecs saved their best for last, hitting .421 in the final frame with 10 kills against just two errors in 19 attempts. After an early 3-3 deadlock, SDSU vaulted in front for good with an 8-3 surge, as consecutive put-aways by Underwood and Mitchell increased the host school’s advantage to 11-6.

The Rams twice narrowed the gap to two, including a 13-11 margin after an Aztec attack error. However, the Scarlet and Black extinguished any threat of a CSU comeback, thanks to Rubright and Hughes, who smashed back-to-back kills, as the SDSU bench erupted in jubilation.

CSU’s Jones tied Mitchell for match-high honors with 24 kills, while Weathers and Kennedy Stanford finished with 14 put-aways each in the loss. Stanford logged a double-double after posting 10 digs, while setter Emery Herman accomplished the feat as well with a match-high 51 assists and 16 scoops of her own.

San Diego State continues its homestand on Saturday when it battles Wyoming at noon PT. The Cowgirls swept UNLV on the road Thursday night. For ticket information, log on to GoAztecs.com.