Aztecs Sweep Past Wyoming in MW Tourney Opener

LAS VEGAS – Behind a spirited cohesive effort, the sixth-seeded San Diego State volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 sweep over No. 3 seed Wyoming (25-21, 25-20, 25-19) on Wednesday in the first round of the 2025 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Championship inside The Pavilion on the UNLV campus.

The Aztecs (15-15) out-hit the Cowgirls .294 to .216 and maintained the statistical advantage in kills (48-33) and digs (50-39) to help secure a spot in the semifinal round, where they will face second-seeded Colorado State on Friday, Nov. 28 at 4 p.m. PT.

Save for two early one-point deficits in the second set, SDSU led for most of the day to avenge an earlier sweep at the hands of Wyoming in San Diego on Nov. 15 and win its third consecutive first-round match (2022, 2024, 2025) at the Mountain West Championship since the tournament was reinstated in the fall of 2021.

With the victory, the Aztecs improve to 9-0 on the year when leading after two frames and raise their record to 7-2 in three-set matches, while the Cowgirls end their season with a 17-13 mark.

Leading the charge for the Scarlet and Black was Madison Corf, who blasted a match-high 15 kills and hit .440 for the afternoon, committing just four errors in 25 attempts, while Talea Mitchell launched 11 put-aways of own, finishing with a stellar .611 efficiency after completing 18 swings without a miscue.

In addition, SDSU received seven kills and one solo block from Ella Schabort, while Campbell Hague floored five of nine shots with one error for a .444 hitting percentage.

The Aztec cause was also aided by Kendall Mairs (20 assists, 8 digs) and Sarena Gonzalez (16 assists, 5 digs), who split the setting duties, while all-MW honoree Zara Stewart collected 11 digs.

San Diego State set the tone in the opening set, logging its best hitting percentage of the match with a .341 clip after smashing 19 kills against five errors in 41 attempts.  Corf’s power was on full display in the frame, as the Aztec senior smashed six kills, while Schabort and Mitchell terminated four shots apiece.

SDSU twice built a pair of six-point leads, including a 14-8 spread after a Mitchell put-away. Wyoming gradually whittled the deficit to one at 18-17 after Sarah Holcomb joined forces with Addy Cook on a block.

However, the Aztecs never relinquished the upper hand, employing a 7-4 closing run to keep the Cowgirls at bay. Mitchell teamed with Mila Gehlen on a late block before providing the clinching kill to give the Scarlet and Black momentum.

Consecutive put-aways by Gehlen and Schabort broke a 4-4 deadlock early in the second stanza, propelling SDSU into the lead for good. Still, the Aztecs found themselves clinging to a slim 15-14 advantage before creating some separation with a timely 6-1 surge. Corf and Mitchell knocked down two kills apiece in the run, while the Aztecs benefited from a bad set and an attack error. Corf terminated two shots down the stretch, while Annelise Rising came off the bench and blasted a kill of her own for the clinching point.

Despite a deficiency in team blocks (4.0 to 1.0) during the set, SDSU limited Wyoming to just eight kills and a .152 hitting percentage. Individually, Corf continued her hot hand with five put-aways in the frame, while Mitchell launched four non-returnables of her own.

With their sights set on a sweep, the Aztecs broke open a tight 11-10 score with an opportunistic 8-3 run to seize control in the third stanza. Mairs served up consecutive aces to spark the blitz, while Mitchell added back-to-back kills shortly thereafter to give the Scarlet and Black a 19-13 advantage.

The Cowgirls never drew closer than three points the rest of the way, as Corf fittingly supplied the winning point with a kill along the sideline, as the Aztec bench rushed out for an on-court victory celebration.

Holcomb led Wyoming with 11 kills and a match-high five blocks, including a solo effort, while Cook totaled six put-aways and three block assists in the loss.

If San Diego State defeats Colorado State on Friday, it would face the winner of the other semifinal match featuring Boise State and top-seeded Utah State in the championship final on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 3 p.m. PT. The fourth-seeded Broncos escaped with a closely contested three-set sweep over No. 5 seed Grand Canyon on Thursday afternoon (29-27, 25-22, 29-27).

The Aztecs dropped a 3-1 decision to the Rams in the lone regular-season meeting between the two teams on Nov. 13 in San Diego.