Thursday, Sept. 5: San Diego State 3, DePaul University 1
The San Diego State women’s volleyball team opens the San Diego State Invitational with a win over DePaul University in an intense game 3-1 with set scores of 25-21, 20-25, 25-16 and 25-22.
Outside hitters Taylor Underwood and Madison Corf had an explosive night as the duo racked up 16 kills each. Setting them up for the night were setters Fatimah Hall and Andrea Campos, combining for 47 assists.
“We learned a lot from this game,” Corf said. “I think this game will help us by knowing that when we are down by so much, we can come back.”
The win over the Blue Demons moves SDSU to 3-1 in non-conference play and a program record of 30-19 in home openers.
The battle for the first set had the Aztecs trying to get over the hump over the Blue Demons. The Aztecs totaled eight equalizers; however, the team struggled to take advantage. The momentum shifted in favor of SDSU following a timeout called by head coach Brent Hilliard after being down 15-18.
“The message was to be aggressive, to not be worried about mistakes that are aggressive,” Hilliard said. “They made mistakes, but it wasn’t because they were shrinking from the moment; They were there and being aggressive.”
From that moment, the Aztecs outscored the Blue Demons 10-3 to end the set. The second set was a different tale as the Aztecs struggled to play catch up. The Blue Demons did not allow the Aztecs to take the advantage nor tie the set.
However, SDSU pulled out its reverse card and dominated the third set, giving the Blue Demons its biggest deficit of the night 25-16. Both Underwood and middle blocker Hague Campbell tallied four kills each in the set.
The tug-of-war battle that was the fourth set began with the Blue Demons taking an 11-17 lead. The Aztecs responded with five consecutive points, but the Blue Demons pulled enough to maintain their lead. With the score being 18-22 and the game looking to hit overtime, the Aztecs scored 7 consecutive points to win the game.
“We were a little stressed being down so much,” Corf said. “We stuck together, and our mindset was don’t give up.”
Walking into the invitational, The Aztecs were leading the Mountain West in kills, blocks, and assists after an impressive showing in the Idaho State Tournament, according to the team’s website. SDSU swept both Idaho State and Seattle University with its only loss coming from CSU Northridge in overtime.
Both teams have met on one previous occasion in 2011 where the Aztecs swept the Blue Demons. The win makes the Aztecs 2-0 against the Blue Demons.
Despite the lack of meetings, both teams have strong ties. Hilliard and Blue Demon head coach Marie Zidek coached together at the University of San Diego before moving to their respective teams. Underwood also started her collegiate career with the Blue Demons.
Friday, Sept. 6: San Diego State 3, Portland State 2
San Diego State women’s volleyball (4-1) took down Portland State (0-8) on Sept. 6 at the Peterson Gym.
After taking down DePaul in their home opener 3-1, the Aztecs were ready to keep the good vibes rolling against Portland State. With their fans in attendance, they had all the energy necessary going into this match.
Volleyball is a game of momentum and runs, which was displayed numerous times throughout this battle. After reaching an early first-set lead of 16-6, they put it away with no problem. Coming together for a total of seven kills, Madison Corf and Shea Rubright led the Aztecs to an early advantage.
Setters Fatimah Hill and Andrea Campos were connecting on all cylinders with their hitters, placing every set where it needed to be for the swing. As the first set came to a close, this momentum only grew stronger, as SDSU started off the match with a commanding 25-10 victory.
This continued as the second set began, and the Aztecs started with a 10-4 lead; however, the momentum began to shift as the Vikings clawed back into the game. With a pivotal block from Portland State’s Sydney Stenson, this gave them a 19-17 lead over the Aztecs.
SDSU wasn’t able to make a late comeback, which resulted in a 25-21 loss. This tied the match at 1-1 going into set three.
As both teams settled in, the set was tight with a 6-6 start. The Vikings then jumped out to an early lead of 13-8, putting the Aztecs in a five-point deficit. Middle blocker Shea Rubright attempted to give the Aztecs some fire with a huge block to cut the lead to four. Despite the excitement, it would not be enough to get back in the set, as they fell to a 25-18 score.
Although the Aztecs found themselves in a tough hole to dig out of, Head Coach Brent Hilliard never lost faith in his team.
“I have complete trust in them,” Hilliard said. “I know that they will react when put into stressful situations.”
The fourth set was neck and neck throughout, as it was all tied up at 18-18, with an electric kill from opposite hitter Taylor Underwood. The Aztecs were able to create a lead after a nasty block from Rubright that put the score at 23-19. SDSU put the set away with a score of 25-21, forcing a fifth set.
Ubright knew that her team was not going away without a fight, and she knew that they would not allow the Vikings to win on their home court.
“We deserve to be here. This is our home court and we have to defend it,” Rubright said.
Going into the final set, the Aztecs attacked the Vikings immediately, taking a 5-1 lead. Portland State was forced to call a timeout after a vicious kill from Underwood, causing yet another shift in momentum. As the match came to an end, SDSU pulled out the victory with a score of 15-13 and a final score of 3-2.
Rubright saw this win as a testament to the camaraderie that has been created on and off the court.
“It shows that we have complete and total belief in each other. We have each other’s backs through thick and thin,” Rubright commented.
Rubright and Corf lead the way with a combined 30 kills and five blocks. With 47 total assists, Hill and Campos showed off their strong connection with their fellow hitters.
After the invitational, SDSU will travel north to Riverside to compete in the CBU Tournament.
