Aztecs Drop Three-Setter to Wyoming

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team was dealt a three-set sweep at the hands of visiting Wyoming (14-25, 12-25, 19-25)  in a Mountain West clash on Saturday at Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.

With the result, the Aztecs (13-14, 8-8 MW) dropped their third straight, while the Cowgirls (15-12, 11-5 MW) clinched a spot in the Mountain West Championship later this month in Las Vegas, Nevada.

At press time, SDSU was slotted sixth in the conference standings, one-half match behind fifth-place Grand Canyon (16-10, 8-7 MW), which is facing Nevada on the road Saturday evening. The top six teams qualify for the MW tournament.

On Saturday, the Aztecs were unable to solve the defensive exploits of Wyoming, which owned a sizable advantage in team blocks (16.0 to 5.0) while maintaining a 6-0 spread in service aces. In addition, the Cowgirls out-hit SDSU .263 to .047, finishing with a 34-32 edge in kills to hand the Scarlet and Black just its second sweep of the season.

Individually, Mila Gehlen and Ella Schabort (.500) paced the Aztecs with seven kills apiece, while Campbell Hague contributed six kills and three block assists, tying Annelise Rising for team-high honors in the latter category.

In addition, SDSU received 15 assists from Sarena Gonzalez, while Zara Stewart led all players with 13 digs.

Down two starters, the short-handed Aztecs suffered additional misfortune when Taylor Underwood, the team’s primary offensive threat, was sidelined early in the opening set and did not return.

Still, SDSU found itself clinging to a 7-6 lead after a combined block by Rising and Hague. However, the Cowgirls methodically seized control with a 13-4 surge to grab an insurmountable 20-12 lead. Sarah Holcomb keyed the run with three kills and joined forces with Paige Lauterwasser on a pair of blocks, while Emma Winter and Jordan Sandy teamed up on another rejection.

Stung, the Aztecs were plagued by inconsistency in the second stanza, posting just nine kills against 14 errors in 39 attempts for a minus-.128 efficiency. SDSU was unable to recover from an early 6-1 deficit and could pull no closer than three points the rest of the set after a Natalie Hughes kill trimmed the margin to 11-8. Wyoming promptly answered with eight straight tallies, featuring two put-aways by Claire Wagstaff, who also combined with Sandy on a block during that stretch.

The teams battled through eight ties and two lead changes in the third frame, as SDSU looked to extend the match. Schabort launched five non-returnables in the set, while Gehlen floored four shots of her own. Those efforts weren’t enough, however, as the Cowgirls vaulted in front for good at 18-15 following consecutive kills by Holcomb, Wagstaff and Addy Cook.

The Aztecs crept to within one at 19-18 after a Schabort termination, but the Scarlet and Black could not seize the upper hand, as an error on the ensuing serve proved costly. Sandy turned into a one-player wrecking crew for Wyoming down the stretch, notching a kill, a combined block with Winter and two aces, including one to secure the match.

Wagstaff led the Cowgirls with eight kills and contributed four block assists, while Holcomb finished with seven put-aways and a match-high 11 rejections, including a pair of solo efforts. In addition, Winter (4 kills) racked up six block assists of her own, followed by Sandy’s five stops, including one solo stuff.

The Aztecs held a special Alumni Day ceremony between the second and third sets, welcoming back many distinguished former players, along with former head coach Mark Warner.

San Diego State wraps up its regular-season slate with a pair of home matches next week when it battles San José State on Thursday, Nov. 20, followed by a clash with Fresno State on Saturday, Nov. 22.