The saying goes like this: Everything is bigger in Texas. From the steer to the athletics, everything seems bigger in the Lone Star State. But the volleyball?
Despite two tremendous comebacks in the first two sets, the San Diego State women’s volleyball team (22-11) was swept in three sets by the University of Texas (23-6) on Saturday afternoon at the Recreation Sports Center in Austin.
The loss eliminated the Aztecs from the NCAA Tournament and marked their third straight second-round defeat in the tournament dating back to 1994.
SDSU started out sluggish in the first set, finding itself down 13-2 midway through the set. The Aztecs, however, made a huge comeback and tied the match at 14-14 when Aztec outside hitter Martina Vitkova fired a kill off an assist from setter Andrea Clark.
SDSU could not overcome errors in that first set. Its 11 first-set errors propelled the Longhorns to a 17-15 victory.
“I thought we were going to win the game,” Vitkova said. “But they were able to come up with some good plays at the end.”
The second set, much as the first, saw the Aztecs fall behind early. At one time down 7-3 and at another time down 12-6, SDSU again began to fight back.
The errors once again played a huge role in the 15-13 Aztec loss. While SDSU reached the 12-error plateau, Texas only managed four, insuring the two-set advantage for the Longhorns.
By the time the third set started, SDSU seemed tired and beaten, and it showed. Texas was able to take advantage of a 9-1 start and finished off the Aztecs 15-5.
“It is tough to come all the way back, have won the game, and then lose it,” Aztecs head coach Mark Warner said. “It’s just not that easy to continually come back, especially against a good team.”
Though the errors played a big part in the Aztec defeat, the real difference may have been due to the blocks. While the Aztecs recorded seven team blocks and 19 total blocks, the Longhorns recorded 17 team blocks and 30 total blocks.
“Mentally, it doesn’t bother us to come up against a good block.” Warner said. “But Texas was able to score some points on it. Against a good team, you’ve got to play at a high level throughout the match.”
The “Legion of Doom” front line of Vitkova, Juliana Cezar, and Ginger Ernest had a tremendous game, combining for 52 kills on the evening. Vitkova, as she did in the Aztecs’ first round win over Sam Houston State, led the team with 22 kills.
Also contributing to the Aztecs’ charge were Clark and middle blocker Carrie Mapes. Clark led the team in assists with 62 and also added 2 kills. Mapes, coming off of an outstanding performance in their first-round match, recorded 11 kills and 7 digs.
