Aztecs Unable to Withstand Utah State Comeback in Five-Set Defeat

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team suffered its second straight five-set defeat on Thursday after falling to Utah State (25-21, 25-23, 25-27, 18-25, 13-15) in a Mountain West match inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.

With the loss, the Aztecs slip to 9-4 on the season and 1-2 conference play, while the Aggies move to 4-10 on the year and 1-2 in the MW after completing their seventh consecutive five-set contest.

After winning the first two sets, SDSU was unable to rally from early deficits of 8-2 and 11-2 in the third and fourth frames, respectively, allowing USU to remain in contention.

Individually, the Aztecs were paced by Taylor Underwood, who tied her season-best with 18 kills, while Jasmine Davis (13) and Talea Mitchell (11) also surpassed the double-digit barrier in put-aways.

With her total, Davis has compiled 1,005 kills for her career after spending her first four collegiate seasons at UConn (2019-22).

In addition, the Scarlet and Black received nine kills from Shea Rubright (.389), who also tied for team-high honors with three blocks, including a solo stuff, joining Mitchell and Kat Cooper.

Elsewhere, Campbell Hague came off the bench to record seven kills and two solo blocks, hitting .357 for the night, while Gianna Bender scooped up 13 digs.

SDSU also utilized three setters on the night, with Sarena Gonzalez (22 assists, 8 digs), Andrea Campos (16 assists) and Fatimah Hall (9 assists) sharing that responsibility.

For the first time this season, the Aztecs racked up fewer kills than the opposition, as the Aggies held a 70-62 advantage in that category while maintaining the statistical advantage in hitting percentage (.261 to .255), service aces (8-5) and digs (66-60).

USU raced to a 6-3 lead in the deciding fifth set following a kill by Adna Mehmedovic, but SDSU responded with five straight points to vault in front by an 8-6 margin. The Scarlet and Black benefited from a wayward serve and an unforced attack error, while Davis followed with a kill and solo block, before Hague capped the run with a solo rejection of her own.

However, the Aztecs were unable to build on their momentum, as the Aggies forged a timely 8-4 blitz to take the lead for good at 14-12. USU received two kills from Andrea Simovski in that span, while Mehmedovic floored a shot after Kaylie Ray launched a non-returnable and combined with Ava Napierski on a block.

Mitchell’s kill trimmed the margin to one before Mehmedovic dropped a shot along the far sideline that stayed in bounds and abruptly ended the marathon contest, much to the chagrin of the SDSU faithful.

After hitting a combined .333 in the first two sets, the Aztecs were limited to a .210 efficiency over the final three frames, allowing USU to rally and complete the comeback.

SDSU found itself in pursuit mode for most of the third stanza after falling behind early by an 8-2 count. Despite gradually whittling deficit, the Aztecs still trailed 24-20 after a Mehmedovic kill.

Incredibly, the Scarlet and Black caught proverbial lightning in a bottle with four straight points to tie the set at 24-24, as Rubright supplied two kills sandwiched around a solo block following an errant Aggie serve.

Following an exchange of put-aways by Ray and Rubright, Delaney Lawson floored consecutive kills to keep the match alive and give USU new life.

Stung, the Aztecs stumbled out of the gates in the fourth set, while the Aggies raced to an 11-2 advantage and did not look back. SDSU was unable to draw closer than five points, as a Barlow kill and a Simovski service ace provided the clinching points for the visitors, setting he stage for another dramatic finish.

The Aztecs logged their worst hitting percentage of the match with a .182 clip in the fourth set, committing six errors against 12 kills in 33 attempts while suffering five service aces.

Overall, Utah State was paced by Mehmedovic’s 16 kills, while Lawson and Simovski finished with 10 put-aways each.

Simovski, who came off the bench in the second set, completed a double-double with a match-high 16 digs, while Kaylie Kofe led all players with 45 assists in the win.

San Diego State will return to the court on Saturday, Oct. 5, when it plays host to Nevada at noon PT. The Wolf Pack (8-7, 1-2 MW) dropped a five-setter of their own at UNLV on Thursday.