Aztecs Blank Wyoming for Second Straight Win

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team completed its sixth sweep of the 2024 campaign Saturday with a 3-0 whitewash of Wyoming (25-23, 25-16, 25-19) in a Mountain West showdown inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.

With the victory, the Aztecs improve to 6-0 in three-set matches this year, raising their record to 13-5 overall and 5-3 in conference play, while the Cowgirls slip to 11-7 on the season and 3-5 in MW action.

Following Thursday’s comeback win and Saturday’s triumph, SDSU has defeated Colorado State and Wyoming in successive matches for the first time since the 2012 campaign. In addition, the Aztecs swept the Cowgirls in a match for the first time since Sept. 29, 2011, in San Diego.

Not to be outdone, SDSU’s 13-5 ledger marks the program’s best start through 18 matches since the 1995 squad went 16-2 in the same span.

Against Wyoming, the Aztecs logged their fifth-best hitting percentage of the year and highest in MW play with a .318 efficiency, committing just eight errors for the match against 43 kills in 110 attempts.

On the flip side, the SDSU defense limited the Cowgirls to a .197 clip, as the host school benefited from 16 attack errors and 11 wayward serves.

Collectively, the Aztecs maintained the statistical advantage in team blocks (8.0 to 2.0) while holding the edge in kills (43-39) and digs (54-53) to help fuel their win.

Individually, Taylor Underwood posted double-digit kills for the 13th time this season after blasting a match-high 14 put-aways with just one error in 24 attempts for a stellar .542 hitting percentage. The SDSU opposite hitter also came up huge defensively with three blocks, including a solo stuff.

In addition, the Scarlet and Black received nine kills from Jasmine Davis, who just missed her sixth double-double of the year after collecting 11 digs, while Shea Rubright (.312) launched seven non-returnables of her own to go with two block assists and a service ace.

Aztec fortunes were also buoyed by Fatimah Hall (19 assists, 9 digs) and Andrea Campos (13 assists, 6 digs), who split the setting duties, while Gianna Bender led all players with 18 digs along the back row.

After seven tie scores in the opening set, SDSU seemingly created enough breathing room with a five-point lead at 18-13 after Keira Herron’s service ace.  However, Wyoming would not go quietly, as Paige Lauterwasser knocked a down a pair of kills to cap a 10-6 run and pull the visitors to within one at 24-23. Unfazed, the Aztecs withstood the challenge thanks to Campos’ dump shot, which fooled the Cowgirl defense and allowed the Aztecs to escape.

SDSU logged its best hitting percentage of the match with a .387 pace in the second stanza, committing just one error against 13 kills on 31 attempts.  The teams battled through seven early ties before consecutive kills by Rubright and Talea Mitchell vaulted the Aztecs in front for good at 9-7. Clinging to a precarious 13-11 lead, the Scarlet and Black put the proverbial pedal to the metal, unleashing a decisive 12-5 surge to capture the set and seize control of the match.

Rubright floored a shot a spun an ace during the outburst, while Underwood provided a solo block and two late kills, including the clincher. In addition, the Aztecs were beneficiaries of three unforced attack errors and two wayward serves by the visitors.

Sensing the opportunity to complete the sweep, SDSU wasted no time advancing toward that goal in the third set, crafting a timely 14-3 blitz to break a 6-6 deadlock. Underwood sparked the run with five kills, while Davis added two put-aways after combining with Kat Cooper on a block.

Suddenly trailing 19-9, Wyoming fashioned a belated rally, pulling to within 22-18 on consecutive kills by Emma Winter and another by Kayla Mazzocca. However, the Cowgirls self-destructed down the stretch, committing two service errors sandwiched between a kill by Davis.

Winter led the Cowgirls with 11 kills, while Mazzocca and Lauterwasser finished with nine put-aways each in the loss.

San Diego State looks to complete an undefeated homestand on Oct. 22, when it plays host to UNLV as part of the Mountain West’s Tuesday Night Block Party promotion. First serve is set for 6 p.m. PT. For ticket information, log on to GoAztecs.com.