Aztecs Upended by Colorado State in Four Sets

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team opened its homestand on a sour note Thursday with a 3-1 loss to Colorado State (20-25, 23-25, 26-24, 18-25) in a Mountain West clash inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.

Missing two starters and another key contributor, the short-handed Aztecs gave the Rams all they could handle, winning the third set before running out of steam in the fourth frame.

With the setback, SDSU slips to 13-13 on the season and 8-7 in conference action, while CSU clinched a spot in the MW tournament, improving to 17-8 overall and 11-4 in league play.

Despite the loss, the Aztecs remain tied for fourth place in the MW standings with Boise State (16-10, 8-7 MW) and Grand Canyon (16-10, 8-7 MW) after the Broncos and Lopes both lost on the road Thursday.

The top six teams in the conference race qualify for the Mountain West Championship, Nov. 26-29, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For the second straight match, SDSU owned the statistical advantage in kills, only to suffer a defeat. The Scarlet and Black maintained a 58-53 spread in that category and a 54-47 edge in digs.

However, the Rams out-hit the Aztecs (.294 to .200) and held a sizable margin in team blocks (17.0 to 7.0) to keep SDSU at bay. In addition, CSU served up more aces (8-3) and committed five fewer unforced attack errors (11-6) to help tighten their grip on second place in the MW.

The Aztecs received 11 kills apiece from Ella Schabort, Campbell Hague and Madison Corf, while Taylor Underwood chipped in 10 put-aways of her own. Corf notched her second double-double of the year thanks to a 10-dig effort, while Annelise Rising blasted nine kills off the bench, hitting at a .412 clip after committing just two errors in 17 attempts.

Zara Stewart anchored SDSU’s defensive efforts with a match-high 17 digs, while Talea Mitchell topped the squad with four block assists.

Elsewhere, Sarena Gonzalez dished out a season-high 25 assists, splitting the setting chores with Bella Jones, who handed out 20 helpers and collected eight digs.

The opening set witnessed nine ties and three lead changes as both squads hit .324 in the frame. The Aztecs were led by Corf, who floored five shots in seven swings for a .714 efficiency in that span, while Schabort, Underwood and Hague launched three non-returnables apiece in SDSU’s balanced attack.

The Aztecs found themselves in a 16-16 deadlock after a Corf kill before CSU pulled away down the stretch with a 9-4 rush to capture the set. Kekua Richards ignited the run with a put-away of her own followed by a pair of combined blocks with Maria Brun and Riley Simpson. In addition, Brun knocked down a kill and served up an ace, while Halle Jameson’s put-away ultimately provided the clinching point.

The Aztecs overcame an early 11-6 deficit in the second stanza, employing a strong 16-10 surge to grab a brief 22-21 on a bad set by the Rams’ Erin Debiec. Schabort highlighted the run with three kills, while Corf and Underwood floored two shots apiece to go with a Gonzalez service ace.

However, Colorado State denied SDSU’s bid to even the match after utilizing another timely run, this time a 4-1 spurt to escape with the set. Brun launched a kill and served up an ace, while Jameson and Richards joined forces on a block before Simpson’s termination abruptly ended the frame.

The Aztecs overcame a sizable deficiency in team blocks (7.0 to 1.0) with 17 kills in the third set to help extend the match. Hague was on fire in that span flooring all six of her shots without an error while contributing a block assists. In addition, Rising made her presence felt with four put-aways, while Corf added three more.

Still, the Scarlet and Black was mired in a trio of late two-point deficits, including a 22-20 margin following a Brun kill. However, SDSU caught proverbial lightning in a bottle with a 6-2 closing run to fend off a sweep. Hague keyed the outburst with three kills and a joint block with Mila Gehlen, who ultimately smashed down the clinching point.

The Aztecs were unable to parlay their good fortune into a consistent attack in the fourth set, hitting just .108 in the frame after posting 11 kills against seven errors in the frame. Rising continued her hot hitting with four kills in that stretch, while Schabort knocked down three more, but it wasn’t enough.

The Rams broke open a tight 8-7 score with a decisive 12-6 run to build a 20-13 lead they would not relinquish. SDSU was plagued by two service errors and a pair of wayward attacks, while CSU’s Jameson and Simpson launched two kills apiece, with the latter joining forces with Richards on a block.

Consecutive put-aways by Rising, Schabort and Gehlen trimmed the deficit to 20-16, but the Rams extinguished any Aztec comeback hopes with a 5-2 closing run, as Debiec combined with Richards on a block to seal the win.

CSU’s Eve Wilson led all players with 15 kills and finished with eight blocks, including three solo efforts, while Richards contributed 12 put-aways to go with a match-high nine block assists in the win. In addition, the Rams received 10 kills and four block assists from Brun, while Debiec dished ou a match-high 39 assists while adding six digs and four block assists.

San Diego State continues its homestand on Saturday, Nov. 15, when it battles Wyoming at noon PT. The third-place Cowgirls (14-12, 10-5 MW) defeated UNLV in four sets in Las Vegas on Thursday night.