Hot-Hitting Aztecs Sweep Gonzaga for Fifth Consecutive Victory

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team continued its stellar play on Saturday, rolling to its fifth consecutive victory with a 3-0 blanking of Gonzaga (25-12, 25-19, 25-18) in a Pac-12 match inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.

The Aztecs (10-6, 5-1 Pac-12) posted their second-highest team hitting percentage of the season with a .389 efficiency to complete their third straight sweep and seventh of the year.

SDSU committed just seven attack errors on the day, finishing with 44 kills in 95 attempts while maintaining the statistical edge in team blocks (8.0 to 4.0) and digs (38-37) to help key the victory.

On the flip side, the Scarlet and Black limited the Zags (5-12, 0-5 Pac-12) to a .061 efficiency, which marked the lowest hitting percentage for an Aztec opponent this season. Gonzaga mustered just 30 kills against 24 errors in 99 swings for the match.

Individually, six players accounted for SDSU’s highly efficient attack on Saturday, as Tessa Schouten and Layla Austin blasted 11 kills apiece, while Haylee Brown launched seven put-aways of her own, followed by Ella Schabort and Taelyn Bentley, who finished with six terminations each.

While tying her career high with 11 kills, Schouten hit .588 on the day, committing just one error in 17 attempts, and led all players with five block assists. In addition, Schabort was spotless in 12 swings for a .500 clip, while Bentley (.385) and Brown (.300) tallied just one miscue apiece.

The Aztec charge was also advanced by Kendall Mairs, who dished out a match-high 35 assists and set a career best with four block assists while contributing seven digs and a trio of kills.

Not to be outdone, Zara Stewart led all players with 14 digs, while Nazare Judd finished with six scoops of her own.

SDSU logged its highest hitting percentage of the match with a .565 clip in the opening set, blasting 14 kills in 23 attempts with just one error. Schouten floored all four of her shots in that span, while Schabort (.750) and Mairs (.750) contributed three terminations apiece.

Conversely, Gonzaga was limited to a minus-.033 efficiency in the frame, mustering just nine kills against 10 miscues in 30 swings.

Nursing a slim 6-5 advantage, the Aztecs scored five straight points to seize control, as Brown, Austin and Schouten launched successive kills before the Zags committed a pair of attack errors.

With an 11-5 cushion in hand, SDSU never led by fewer than five points the rest of the way, closing with an emphatic 14-7 run. Mairs crossed up the Gonzaga defense with all three of her kills during that span and combined on a block with Bentley, who also teamed with Schabort on another rejection, while Schouten put away two shots down the stretch to extinguish any faint comeback hopes by the Zags.

The second stanza witnessed much tighter affair, as an 11-7 Aztec lead evaporated after Gonzaga fashioned a 9-3 blitz to vault in front by a 16-14 count. Clare Wagstaff knocked two kills and combined with Lucy Slavik on a pair of blocks to help key the run.

However, SDSU quickly corrected course with another timely flourish, closing with an 11-3 surge to take a commanding 2-0 lead on the set scoreboard. Schouten was nearly a one-player wrecking crew down the stretch, joining forces with Mairs on a pair of blocks and teaming with Brown on two more rejections while blasting two kills. In addition, Austin smashed two non-returnables of her own, including one for the clinching point.

Austin led all players with six kills during the set, while Schouten added three.

The third frame was the most competitive of the day, as the teams combined for eight ties and four lead changes. SDSU still maintained its proficient attack, launching 16 kills in 36 attempts with just one error for a .417 efficiency. The Aztecs’ balance was on full display, as Austin and Schouten knocked down four kills in the set, while Bentley and Brown floored three shots apiece.

Still, SDSU was unable to build on a pair of early three-point leads, as Gonzaga kept things close, ultimately grabbing a slim 14-13 advantage on a Wagstaff kill midway through the set.

However, the Aztecs flashed their trademark resiliency with a 7-2 spurt to vault in front for good. Schouten and Brown highlighted the run with two kills apiece, while Schabort and Austin each put away a ball to give the Scarlet and Black a 20-16 lead.

SDSU benefited from a misguided serve and three attack errors by the Zags down the stretch, while Austin added a late kill to help complete the sweep.

Gonzaga was led by Wagstaff’s eight kills, while Slavik and Taylor Walsh finished with six put-aways apiece in the loss.

San Diego State resumes its homestand on Thursday, Oct. 15, when it plays host to Utah State in its annual Dig Pink match, starting at 6 p.m. PT.