Aztecs Complete Saturday Sweep at Washington State

PULLMAN, Wash. – In the first-ever meeting between the two programs, the San Diego State volleyball team cruised to a three-set conquest of Washington State (25-11, 25-20, 25-18) on Saturday in Pac-12 action at Bohler Gym.

With the sweep, the Aztecs recorded their fifth whitewash of the season and extended their winning streak to three straight matches, improving to 8-6 overall and 3-1 in conference play, while the Cougars drop their second in a row, falling to 6-7 on the year and 1-2 in Pac-12 competition.

SDSU maintained a 45-29 advantage in digs, limiting WSU to a .068 hitting percentage, which marked the lowest efficiency of the season for an Aztec opponent.

Despite trailing in team blocks (8.0 to 4.0), the Scarlet and Black also held the statistical edge in kills (36-28) and service aces (3-1) while benefiting from 11 Cougar service errors to help key its win.

Individually, the Aztecs were led by Ella Schabort, who led all players with 11 kills, while Layla Austin launched eight put-aways of her own, followed by Haylee Brown, who contributed six terminations of the bench.

In addition, the SDSU cause was bolstered by Kendall Mairs’ 10th double-double of the year after the sophomore setter racked up 27 assists and a match-high 13 digs, while Austin, Tessa Schouten (5 kills) and Taelyn Bentley (4 kills) finished with two block assists each, with all of those rejections occurring in the third set.

Not to be outdone, Zara Stewart anchored the Aztec back row with nine digs, while Austin flashed her versatility even further with eight scoops of her own.

SDSU set the tone for the match in the opening frame, outhitting WSU .409 to .000 after blasting 11 kills in 22 attempts with just two errors, while the Cougars were plagued by seven attack errors in 28 swings, which offset their seven put-aways. Schabort floored five of six shots without an error in the set (.833), while Brown launched three non-returnables in that span.

The Aztecs took control of the frame with an 8-3 blitz to break open an 8-5 score. SDSU received two kills from Schabort during the run, while Bentley and Schouten each put away a shot. Additionally, the Scarlet and Black benefited from two service errors, a bad set and an errant attack by WSU.

With SDSU leading 16-7, Schabort added three kills down the stretch, while the Cougars continued their mistake-prone play with an off-target serve and consecutive attack errors on the final three points.

Although the second stanza was the closest of the three sets, the Aztecs seized the momentum with an early 6-0 surge to break a 4-4 deadlock. Once again, WSU imploded with an errant serve and three misguided attacks, while Brown and Schouten each knocked down a kill for the visitors.

The Cougars trimmed the deficit to 18-14 following an Emerson Matthews termination but could draw no closer than four points the rest of the way. However, Mairs and Austin each provided two late kills to keep the host school at bay, while WSU fittingly committed a service error for the clinching, as SDSU grabbed a commanding 2-0 lead on the set scoreboard.

Austin (.600) led the Scarlet and Black with six kills on 10 attempts without an error in the set, while Mairs, Brown and Schouten launched two non-returnables apiece.

The Aztecs employed another timely run in the third frame, unleashing 8-0 fury to overcome a 10-6 deficit. Bentley and Austin each provided a kill during the run while joining forces on a pair of blocks.

Trailing 14-10, the Cougars narrowed the gap to 16-15 on a combined block by Naomi White and Mary Healy but could not seize the upper hand. SDSU answered with two Schabort kills and a Bentley service ace to help reclaim a five-point cushion at 20-15.

With WSU’s comeback hopes fading, Nazare Judd served up another ace, while Schouten provided the winning point with a slide kill along the net moments later, as the Aztec bench erupted in jubilation.

SDSU collected 20 digs in that third set alone, including nine by Mairs, as the Scarlet and Black limited the Cougars to a .025 efficiency after the hosts managed just nine kills against eight errors in 40 attempts. Conversely, Schabort led the Aztec attack with five kills in the frame, while Bentley added three.

White, Healy and Matthews finished with five kills apiece to lead WSU, while Kambree Rodriguez came up with 12 digs in the loss.

San Diego State will play seven of its next eight matches at home, starting next week when it welcomes Oregon State (Oct. 8) and Gonzaga (Oct. 10) to Peterson Gym.