Aztecs Fall to Colorado State in Four Sets on Senior Day

SAN DIEGO – Playing in its final regular-season home match of the 2026 campaign, the San Diego State volleyball team dropped a tough 3-1 decision to visiting Colorado State on Saturday (16-25, 18-25, 25-22, 23-25) in a Pac-12 showdown inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.

With the loss, the Aztecs (15-9, 10-4 Pac-12) suffer back-to-back defeats in conference play for the first time this season, while the Rams (22-3, 15-0 Pac-12) complete the regular-season sweep and put a damper on SDSU’s Senior Day festivities.

Despite the setback, the Aztecs maintain their grip on second place in the league standings, one game ahead of Oregon State (14-11, 9-5 Pac-12), which fell at Washington State on Saturday.

Against a CSU squad that was receiving votes in the latest AVCA Division I poll, SDSU held a statistical edge in kills (60-53) and digs (56-48), but it wasn’t enough, as the Rams owned a sizable advantage in team blocks (18.0 to 4.0) and slight margin in service aces (6-4) to keep the Scarlet and Black at bay.

In addition, CSU out-hit the Aztecs .336 to .192, committing eight fewer unforced attack errors (5-13) to help key the victory.

Individually, SDSU was led by senior Ella Schabort was blasted a match-high 17 kills in her final collegiate home start, while freshman Layla Austin terminated 14 shots of her own.

The Aztec cause was also aided by junior Tessa Schouten, who launched eight kills and posted a team-high four blocks, including a solo rejection, while sophomores Kendall Mairs (33 assists, 11 digs) and Zara Stewart (11 digs, 10 assists) each completed a double-double.

Not to be outdone, freshman Logan Cary led all players with a career-high three aces and knocked down a collegiate-best four kills while contributing 10 assists and seven digs.

After two early ties, SDSU found itself in pursuit mode for much of the opening set, where the Rams seized control with five team blocks. The Aztecs launched 11 kills in the frame, including four by Schabort, but the hosts were saddled with .029 hitting percentage after committing 10 errors in 35 attempts.

SDSU trailed by just three at 10-7 following a Schabort kill, but CSU responded with 10-5 surge to take command. Eve Wilson sparked the run with two kills and a pair of joint blocks with Sofia Zabjek, who also teamed with Kekua Richards on another rejection. Despite two late kills by  Schabort and another by Schouten, the Rams received put-aways from Halle Jameson, Maria Brun and Abby Little while receiving a gift point on an errant serve for the clincher.

The second stanza was nearly a carbon copy of the first, as CSU maintained its strong presence at the net with a hefty edge in team blocks (7.0 to 1.0). The Aztecs held a slight edge in kills during the set (13-12) but mustered just a .045 efficiency after 11 misfires in 44 swings. Individually,  Schabort led the way with four non-returnables, while Austin, Mairs and Chelsea Cocks smacked two kills each.

The teams combined for eight ties and three lead changes in the frame, with the Scarlet and Black nursing a slim 16-15 advantage following a joint block by Schouten and Schabort. However, the Rams caught proverbial lightning in bottle, closing with a 10-2 rush to grab a 2-0 lead on the set scoreboard.

Richards was a veritable one-person wrecking crew with five blocks down the stretch, joining forces with Erin Debic on a pair of rejections while teaming with Zabjek on another. Adding insult to injury, she also recorded two solo stops, including one for the clincher.

Stung, the Aztecs responded with one of their most complete sets after capturing the third frame, where they blasted 23 kills to account for all but two of their 25 points. SDSU easily posted its best hitting percentage of the day with a .463 clip, committing just four errors in 41 attempts. Austin (.462) took center stage with seven kills, while Schabort (.364) launched six non-returnables in the set.

As a result, the Aztecs became the first team to win a set from the Rams since Oregon State took the opening stanza on Oct. 10, a span of 29 sets across 10 matches.

Clinging to a slim 16-14 advantage,  SDSU fashioned a timely a 4-1 spurt to give itself enough separation for the remainder of the frame. Mila Gehlen came off the bench to knock down a pair of shots, sandwiched between two more put-aways by Cary and Austin.

CSU trimmed the margin to one at 22-21 on an Aztec attack error, but quickly smashed a kill, while Cary followed with a pair of terminations to extend the match.

The fourth set was another hotly contested affair, as the two sides combined for six ties and three lead changes. In addition, each side posted three team blocks and nine digs apiece, but the Rams did just enough offensively with a 16-13 edge in kills to close out the match.

SDSU faced a series of six-point deficits midway through the set, including a 17-11 spread following an errant attack. However, the Aztecs crafted a strong 9-3 run to take a 20-19 lead. Cary twirled three consecutive aces to spark the outburst after Schabort knocked down two kills and combined with Schouten on a block.

The teams witnessed three ties down the stretch, including a 22-22 deadlock following an Austin kill. However, the Rams jumped in front for good on consecutive put-aways by Ella Stowell and Richards. The Aztecs tightened the score at 24-23 on a Gehlen termination moments later, but the host school was unable to extend the match, as Richards came through with the winning kill.

Richards led all players with 12 blocks, including three solo efforts, tying Brun for team-best honors with 11 kills, while Wilson (6 blocks) finished with 10 put-aways of her own. In addition, Debiec (45 assists) and Karsyn Fetzer (15 digs) posted match-high totals in their respective categories.

Prior to Saturday’s clash, the Aztecs conducted a special Senior Day ceremony, celebrating the accomplishments of Gianna Bender, Haylee Brown, Annelise Rising and Ella Schabort.

San Diego State closes out its regular-season schedule with two road matches next week, traveling to Oregon State on Tuesday, Nov. 17, before batting Utah State on Thursday, Nov. 19.