LOGAN, Utah – The San Diego State volleyball team gave conference leader Utah State all it could handle on Saturday before falling in a four-set thriller (26-24, 19-25, 24-26, 27-29) at Wayne Estes Court.
With the loss, the Aztecs slip to 8-13 on the season and 3-7 in Mountain West action, while the Aggies raise their record to 16-5 overall and 9-1 in league play.
SDSU's Taylor Underwood led all players with 18 kills and hit .308, while Mikela Labno (11) and Julia Haynie (10) also reached double figures in put-aways. In addition, the Aztecs received solid contributions from a pair of freshmen, including Campbell Hague, who launched seven non-returnables of her own, while Amber Keen (.357) floored six shots and came through with a career-high five blocks, featuring three solo rejections.
For the second straight match, three SDSU players finished with double-digit dig totals, including McKenna Douglas, who scooped up a match-high 19 shots, followed by Heipua Tautua'a (11) and Bailey Darnell (10). Tautua'a also displayed her versatility with six kills and three blocks, including two solo stuffs, while Labno finished with a trio of stops as well (2 solo).
Elsewhere, the Aztec charge was advanced by Fatimah Hall (27 assists, 7 digs) and Sarena Gonzalez (19 assists, 8 digs), who split the setting duties, while Underwood also served up a pair of aces on the day.
The two sides combined for a whopping 43 ties and 20 lead changes in the see-saw battle, as the teams finished with nearly identical statistics. Despite trailing in hitting percentage (.219 to .217) and digs (61-54), Utah State maintained a slim advantage in kills (60-59), team blocks (12.0 to 11.0) and service aces (9-4) to hang on for the victory.
SDSU logged its best attack percentage of the match with a .444 efficiency in a wild fourth set, knocking down 18 kills against just two errors in 36 attempts. However, the Aggies countered with a .341 clip, blasting 22 put-aways against seven miscues in 44 swings to help keep the Scarlet and Black at bay.
The teams traded punches in a final frame that witnessed 15 ties and seven lead changes alone, with the Aztecs fighting valiantly to extend the match after overcoming a 14-8 deficit. SDSU forged a trio of late one-point leads but could not build on its good fortune.
After a Labno solo block gave the visitors a 25-24 edge, the Aztecs were unable to regain the upper hand. The two sides alternated points on the ensuing five serves before Jill Schneggenburger's kill abruptly ended the affair. SDSU received five kills apiece from Underwood, Labno and Haynie in the set. However, USU countered with Tatum Snell's eight put-aways, while Shelby Capllonch, Kennedi Boyd and Adna Mehmedovic contributed three apiece.
Snell paced the Aggies with 17 kills for the match, followed by Mehmedovic's 10, while Boyd and Capllonch totaled nine strikes each. Snell completed a double-double after posting 11 digs, while Capllonch just missed duplicated the feat after notching a team-high 15 scoops. Additionally, Boyd led all players with six blocks in the win.
SDSU crafted a 15-10 lead in the opening frame before Utah State fought itself off the proverbial ropes with a 14-8 blitz to reach set point at 24-23. Boyd joined forces with Capllonch on a block, while Mehmedovic followed with a solo rejection to punctuate the run. However, the Aztecs flashed their resiliency by scoring the final three points of the stanza. Keen blasted a kill, while the visitors benefit from an Aggie bad set and a wayward attack to escape.
Keen floored all four of her shots in the set, while Underwood contributed three kills and two aces in that span.
The Aztecs were unable to replicate the result in the second set, as USU fashioned a timely 6-1 surge to overcome a 12-11 deficit. Capllonch keyed the run with a pair of kills, while Emily Watson launched a non-returnable and joined forces with Schneggenburger on a block. SDSU could not draw closer than three points the rest of the way, as consecutive kills by Snell and Scheggenburger provided the clinching tallies.
The third frame evolved into a defensive struggle as both sides hit well below .100 in that stretch. The Aztecs (.043) posted 13 kills against 11 errors on 46 attempts, while the Aggies (.000) offset nine put-aways with nine miscues in 43 swings. Despite the prevailing inconsistency, the sides combined for 13 ties and six lead changes.
With the scored deadlocked at 21-21, Utah State scored three straight points on a strike and solo block by Stall, followed by an Aztec attack error. SDSU answered with a 3-0 spurt of its own, as Keen and Tautua'a each blasted a kill sandwiched around a Douglas service ace. However, the Aztec comeback was thwarted after Boyd powered down a shot, while the Scarlet and Black launched a errant attack on the ensuing serve.
San Diego State continues its road swing next weekend with a pair of Mountain West matches, traveling to New Mexico on Thursday, Oct. 26, before heading up to Colorado Springs to battle Air Force on Saturday, Oct. 28.
Aztecs' Valiant Effort Falls Short at Utah State
