Aztecs Upended in Four Sets at Texas State

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Despite double-digit kills from three players, the San Diego State volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to Texas State (25-19, 24-26, 15-25, 18-25) on Thursday in a Pac-12 match at Strahan Arena.

The Aztecs (15-8, 10-3 Pac-12) captured the opening set after posting a .394 efficiency but were unable to sustain the momentum, hitting just .150 over the final three frames, as the Bobcats (9-16, 4-10 Pac-12) used timely runs to secure the upset victory.

Despite holding a 55-47 advantage in kills, SDSU was also plagued by 13 service errors, including seven a hotly contested second set, while Texas State maintained the edge in team blocks (11.0 to 7.0), service aces (8-5) and digs (52-48) en route to their second straight win.

The Aztecs were led by the trio of Layla Austin (18), Ella Schabort (14) and Annelise Rising (12), who combined for 44 of the team’s 55 kills, while Kendall Mairs recorded her 15th double-double of the season after dishing out a match-high 44 assists to go with 10 digs.

Rising’s production also marked a season high, while Schabort tied Tessa Schouten (5 kills) with three blocks, with the latter supplying a solo rejection.

In addition, Zara Stewart led all players with 17 digs, while Austin finished with seven scoops on the night, followed by Schabort with six.

The Aztecs found themselves trailing 14-12 in the opening set before reeling off eight straight points to vault in front for good. Austin launched two kills during the run, while Mairs and Schabort each floored a shot to go with a Rising service ace. The Bobcats never drew closer than five points the rest of the way, as Austin added two terminations down the stretch, while Rising blasted a kill for the clinching point.

SDSU maintained an 18-11 advantage in kills during the frame, led by Austin, who smashed seven non-returnables on 12 attempts with just two errors for a .417 hitting percentage, while Schabort (.500) and Rising (.429) knocked down four balls apiece.

The second stanza witnessed another see-saw affair, as the teams combined for 10 ties and four lead changes. The Bobcats held a 15-11 advantage at the media timeout after India Bennett and Janet Onuorah combined on a block, while the Aztecs followed with an attack error.

Unfazed, SDSU stormed back to take a series of one-point leads, including a 23-22 spread thanks to a Rising kill. However, Texas State conjured up a 4-1 run to capture the set and tie the match. Bennett and Ameena Campbell joined forces on another block, while Brooke Bentke was credited with a service ace following a successful replay challenge. Rising tied the score at 24-24 with a kill moments later, but the Aztecs self-destructed at this juncture with a service error and a misguided attack, allowing the Bobcats to escape.

The Scarlet and Black owned another advantage in team kills during the frame (14-10), including six by Austin and four by Schabort, but seven errant serves and four unforced attack errors proved costly.

Stung, the Aztecs tried to regroup in the third stanza, where Austin blasted two early kills to give the visitors a 6-2 lead. However, Texas State gradually climbed back into contention, erasing a 10-7 deficit with five straight points, featuring three service aces by Peyton McKee, an Ashley Euston kill and a SDSU attack error.

The Aztecs knotted the score at 12-12 moments later on consecutive kills before the Bobcats seized momentum with a 13-3 run to capture the set going away. Bennett was a veritable one-person wrecking crew in that span, teaming with Campbell, Bentke, Ali Adair and McKee on four different blocks, with the latter providing the clinching point. In addition, Campbell knocked down a pair of kills in that span, while Karis Carpenter twirled two aces.

In all, SDSU posted its lowest hitting percentage of the night with a .091 clip in the set, mustering just 11 kills against eight errors in 33 attempts. Schabort led the visitors with four put-aways in the frame, while Rising, Austin and Schouten added two apiece.

Suddenly trailing 2-1 in sets, the Aztecs needed to capture the fourth stanza to extend the match but found themselves in pursuit mode for much of the way.

After SDSU trimmed the margin to 13-11 on a kill by Rising, Texas State broke open the score with an 11-3 blitz to effectively put the set out of reach. Bennett contributed two kills during the run and combined on a block with Campbell, who also launched a non-returnable of her own. In addition, the Bobcats received an ace from Dylan Gilkey, while Bentke and Euston joined forces on another rejection after the Aztecs shot themselves in the proverbial foot with two errant serves and an off-target attack.

The Scarlet and Black responded with four straight points to keep its faint comeback hopes alive, as freshman Lauranta Iyalekehue recorded her first two blocks as a collegian after teaming with Schabort, prompting a Texas State timeout. However, the Bobcats sealed SDSU’s fate moments later on a kill by McKee.

Bennett led Texas State with 15 kills, hitting .667 for the night after committing just one error in 21 attempts while contributing a match-high seven block assists. In addition, Izzy Scholvin completed a double-double with 16 assists and 10 digs, while McKee just missed the accomplishment after finishing with nine kills and 10 scoops of her own.

San Diego State closes out the home portion of its regular-season schedule on Saturday, Nov. 14, when it plays host to league leader Colorado State at noon PT. The Rams (21-3, 14-0 Pac-12) clinched the outright Pac-12 regular-season title with home sweep of Fresno State on Thursday night.

Prior to their clash with CSU, the Aztecs will hold a special Senior Day ceremony, recognizing the accomplishments of Gianna Bender, Haylee Brown, Annelise Rising and Ella Schabort.