Aztecs Outlast UC Davis for Second Straight Sweep

DAVIS, Calif. – The San Diego State volleyball team recorded its second straight sweep with a 3-0 blanking of UC Davis (28-26, 25-23, 25-19) in the opener of the Aggie Invitational on Thursday inside University Credit Union Center.

The Aztecs (3-1) prevailed in a pair of hotly contested sets, as the teams combined for 26 ties and eight lead changes in that span before the Scarlet and Black pulled away in the third stanza to complete the whitewash and hand the Aggies (1-3) their second consecutive defeat.

Despite trailing in kills (44-43) and digs (61-57), SDSU out-hit UC Davis .200 to .177, committing five fewer attack errors, while maintaining a slight edge in team blocks (10.0 to 9.0) and service aces (4-2) to help key the victory.

For the third match this season, the Aztecs were led by Layla Austin, who blasted match-high 15 kills and finished with a .359 hitting percentage after posting just one error in 39 attempts, while Ella Schabort and Annabelle De Jager finished with nine put-aways each in a balanced attack.

In addition, setter Kendall Mairs logged her third double-double of the year with 33 assists and 13 digs, tying Schabort for team-high honors in the latter category.

The SDSU defense also received a match-high five blocks from Davis native Tessa Schouten, whose total included a solo stop, while collected four rejections of her own, including a pair of solo efforts.

The Aztecs seemed poised to take control of the opening set after one of Bentley’s solo blocks gave the visitors a 14-9 advantage. However, the Aggies responded with an 11-5 spurt, taking a 20-19 lead following Allie Caldwell’s kill.

The teams traded punches down the stretch, with UC Davis reaching set point on two occasions, including a 25-24 spread after Ally Chandler knocked down a kill. SDSU received new life shortly thereafter when Isabella Umpierre’s attack went wide, as Austin and Chandler subsequently traded kills, knotting the score at 26-26.

Moments later, Austin took matters into her own hands, launching two straight put-aways to secure the set for the Aztecs. The SDSU outside hitter finished with nine kills in the opening frame alone, hitting at a .533 clip after committing her lone error of the night in 15 attempts.

In a statistical oddity, the Aggies held an 18-16 advantage in kills during the first stanza, but two bad sets and three blocking errors proved costly.

After 10 ties and two lead changes earlier in the second set, SDSU eventually gave itself some separation down the stretch, reaching set point at 24-18 following a Schabort kill. UC Davis would not go quietly, however, reeling off five straight points to trim the deficit to one. Chandler was a one-player wrecking crew in that span, knocked down a kill before combining with Mia Starr and Brooke Hilbino on a pair of blocks, followed by her one solo rejection.

The Aztecs regrouped after a timeout, as Schabort quickly ended the suspense with a kill to give the Scarlet and Black a commanding 2-0 lead on the set scoreboard. Schabort led the way with four kills in the frame, while Austin launched three non-returnables of her own, followed by De Jager and Bentley with two each.

Each side finished with 13 kills overall, but SDSU held a slight edge in service aces (3-2) and team blocks (5.0 to 4.0) to help keep the Aggies at bay.

With momentum on their side, the Aztecs never trailed in the third set, racing to a 10-4 lead after another Schabort kill. SDSU eventually stretched the margin to nine, as Schouten floored a shot to give the visitors an insurmountable 21-12 advantage.

UC Davis threw in one last scare with a 7-1 run to narrow the gap to 22-19, as consecutive kills by Chandler, Starr and Gianna Bogan kept the host school’s faint comeback hopes alive. However, SDSU promptly nixed that scenario when Austin notched two straight kills before Schabort and Bentley joined forces on a block to end the match.

De Jager took center stage with five kills in the frame, committing just one error in eight attempts for a .500 efficiency, while Austin and Schouten added three put-aways each.

The Aggies were paced by Umpierre’s 11 kills for the match, while Bogan launched 10 non-returnables of her own, followed by Chandler with nine. In addition, Starr led all players with 34 assists and completed a double-double with 11 digs, while Ximena Cordero Barr collected a match-high 17 digs in the loss.

San Diego State wraps up tournament play at the Aggie Invitational on Friday, Sept. 4, when it locks horns with Cal Poly, starting at 1 p.m. PT.