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Aztecs snap three-match losing streak to Wolf Pack
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo courtesy goaztecs.com
September 23, 2021 (Reno) - The San Diego State volleyball posted its second straight sweep on Thursday with a 3-0 victory (29-27, 25-17, 25-20) at Nevada in the Mountain West opener for both teams at Virginia Street Gym.
The Aztecs (4-9, 1-0 MW) survived a grueling opening set, where the two teams combined for 16 ties and seven lead changes, before the Scarlet and Black pulled away in the final two frames. SDSU limited the Wolf Pack (3-9, 0-1 MW) to a minus-.029 hitting percentage over those final two sets to help snap a three-match losing streak in the head-to-head series.
Victoria O’Sullivan tied for match-high honors with nine kills, snapping her streak of 11 straight starts with double-digit put-aways. However, the Aztecs shared the wealth offensively on this night, as Julia Haynie recorded season-bests of eight kills and five block assists, while Heipua Tautua’a and Mikela Labno launched seven non-returnables apiece.
Tautua’a displayed her versatility on Thursday, finishing with 11 digs, three block assists and a pair of service aces, while Andrea Walker knocked down four kills and came up with four block assists in just her second start of the year.
Jordyn Goldsmith also got into the act with four kills and three block assists, while Noa Miller (19 assists) and Ashley Vanderpan (15 assists) shared the bulk of the setting duties. Once again, Natalie Smith was solid along the back row, where she logged a match-high 13 digs.
As a team the Aztecs maintain the statistical advantage in kills (39-31), digs (46-38), team blocks (11.0 to 8.0) and aces (7-4) to key their victory.
In the opening frame, SDSU seemingly gave itself enough breathing room after taking a 20-15 lead on a kill by Tautua’a. However, the Wolf Pack fought back to tie the score at 23-23 after Kyla Waiters floored a shot. Still, the Aztecs reached set point on three straight occasions following a Labno kill and two others by O’Sullivan but could not secure the set. Nevada countered with kills by Reka Monteleone, Waiters and Savanna Maker, eventually grabbing a 27-26 lead after Monteleone served up an ace.
After a timeout, SDSU regrouped with three straight points to snuff out the host school’s momentum, as Tautua’a and Haynie each blasted a kill sandwiched around a Wolf Pack setting error. Tautua’a and O’Sullivan finished with four kills apiece in the set, helping the Aztecs post their highest efficiency of the night with a .282 clip (17-6-39).
Perhaps stung by the turn of events, San Diego State caught Nevada reeling to start the second stanza and raced to a 6-1 lead, fueled by three O’Sullivan kills and a combined block from Haynie and Tautua’a. The Aztecs were never threatened, eventually building an insurmountable 21-10 advantage on an O’Sullivan solo block and a bad set by the Wolf Pack.
Despite launching just eight kills during the set, SDSU benefited from 11 Nevada attack errors and served up three aces, including two by Smith and another from Vanderpan. On the flip side, the Wolf Pack was held to a minus-.156 hitting percentage in the frame (6-11-32) while getting out-blocked 5.0 to 2.0.
The third set was more competitive, as the teams combined for three ties and a pair of lead changes early on. With the score knotted at 9-9, the Aztecs tallied four straight points to vault in front for good. Labno floored a pair of shots and joined forces with Walker on a block, while Brooklynn Hill recorded a service ace.
SDSU eventually extended the margin to 22-16 on a Haynie kill and a Nevada attack error. Shortly thereafter, the Wolf Pack threw in one last scare by scoring four consecutive points, capped by a Monteleone kill and a wayward Aztec shot. However, the Scarlet and Black withstood the challenge, thanks to Haynie and Walker’s put-aways, before forcing another attack error to end the match.
Monteleone tied O’Sullivan for the match lead with nine kills, while Sydney Peterson finished with seven on the evening. In addition, Nevada received four kills and five total blocks from Sydney Wyman, while Andrea Alcaraz led all players with 20 assists.
San Diego State wraps up its weekend road trip when it travels to the Bay Area for a clash with San José State on Saturday, Sept. 25 starting at 1 p.m. The Spartans (7-4, 1-0 MW) upset defending league champion UNLV in three sets at home on Thursday.
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