San Diego State came from behind in a 3-1 victory over the UC Riverside Highlanders. After losing the first set, SDSU won three consecutive sets to win the match with scores of 23-25, 25–20, 25-23 and 25-21.
Aztec outside hitter Taylor Underwood led the team with 16 kills in the match. Setters Andrea Campos and Sarena Gonzalez combined 46 assists, 25 and 21 respectively.
With this win, the team improves to 5-2 in non-conference play to start the season while the Highlanders fall to 2-6.
UCR jumped ahead in the first set with an early 7-4 lead, leading to the Aztecs playing catch-up for the rest of the set.
The Aztecs were able to tie the score at 16, but UCR re-gained their momentum to extend their lead to 19-17, forcing Brent Hilliard to call a timeout. SDSU wasn’t able to tie the score as the Highlanders closed the first set with a 23-25 win.
San Diego State jumped out to an early 11-3 lead to start the second set. The Highlanders began to claw their way back into the game by closing the score to 14-12.
However, the Aztecs were able to gain their momentum back by scoring six consecutive points led by Underwood, who had three kills during this run.
Later in the game, UCR once again narrowed SDSU’s lead by three points. San Diego State maintained their lead and won the set 25-20, tying the match to 1-1.
The third game was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. Both teams exchanged the lead numerous times, and neither side held a lead of more than one point during the first 17 plays of the set.
UCR was finally able to get a two-point lead with the score being 8-10, an advantage to Riverside. SDSU was able to fight their way back to a 13-12 lead with three kills coming from outside hitter Jasmine Davis.
The teams began to trade the lead once again in the middle of the set. Late in the game, a kill from Underwood with an assist by Campos gave the team a 20-19 lead. The Aztecs didn’t lose the lead again, and they were able to hang on for the rest of the set with a 25-23 victory, giving them a 2-1 lead.
San Diego State started the fourth game with a 3-0 lead. Riverside came back with two points of their own, but the Aztecs quickly extended their lead to 6-2.
With the momentum on their side, the team continued to extend their lead with a score of 4-12. UCR wouldn’t go away quietly as they scored five consecutive points to cut the lead to 12-9.
The set remained close the rest of the way. With SDSU leading 15-12, both teams would trade a litany of attack errors that saw the Aztecs surrender their lead, Riverside now leading 18-17.
A kill by SDSU opposite hitter Natalie Hughes tied the score once more at 18. The team scored four consecutive points after three attack errors were committed by UC Riverside.
With a 22-18 lead, San Diego State held the lead the rest of the way and won the set 25-21, which led to a 3-1 victory over the Highlanders.
The Aztecs outscored the Highlanders in points 98-89. The team also outscored Riverside in kills 55-42 and in assists 52-38. Underwood finished the game with 16 kills, the only player in double-digit kills for the Aztecs. The closest was Davis with 9 kills.
The team’s win over Riverside was a strong start for the Aztecs in the tournament.
California Baptist 0, San Diego State 3
Following a victory against UC Riverside, the San Diego State women’s volleyball team concludes the CBU Tournament undefeated with a win over California Baptist 3-0.
The win on Saturday gave the Aztecs a two-game winning streak, and it moved the team to 6-2 in non-conference play. This is also the third game where the Aztecs have swept their opponents.
SDSU set the tone early in the game by dominating the first set 25-11. Leading the set was Middle Bocker Shea Rubright who generated three kills, a solo block, a team block and a service ace. Rubright ended the day with eight kills, two solo blocks and 11.5 points.
The contests in sets two and three were closer than in set one, but SDSU maintained its lead through both sets with the Lancers’ only lead coming early in the second set.
Middle blocker Kat Cooper led the second set with five kills. Cooper also led the team with a career-high 10 kills and was the only Aztec to reach double-digit kills.
While SDSU controlled most of the second set, The Lancers gave SDSU a run for its money late in the set when the Aztecs were up 24-19. The Lancers scored three straight points to make it 24-22. However, the Lancers’ efforts were shut down with an attack error by opposite hitter Anna Jackson to close the set 25-22.
The tale of the third set mirrored the second as the Lancers struggled to catch up with the Aztecs. Even the score from set two carried over to set three with the set closing 25-22. Opposite hitter Natalie Hughes tallied four kills and a team block in the set.
SDSU generated eight blocks with half coming from the first set and 41 kills as a team. Setter Sarena Gonzales led the match with 20 assists, and behind Gonzales, Setter Andrea Campos had a total of 16 assists.
With the match marking the first meeting ever between both teams, California Baptist became the third team from the Western American Conference to face SDSU.
SDSU continues its long road trip to Spokane, Washington, to compete in the Gonzaga Tournament to face Gonzaga and Eastern Washington. In last year’s tournament, the Aztecs left the court undefeated by sweeping both teams.
SDSU will face Gonzaga in its first game of the tournament on Sept. 20, at 5 p.m.
