San Diego State’s volleyball team moved up to third in the Mountain West Conference standings after a three-set win (25-16, 25-14, 25-20) against Fresno State on Tuesday.
The Aztecs swept the Bulldogs, avenging an earlier season loss.
This marks the fifth win in a row for SDSU.
“We started off with a few new players, and we are a pretty young team. So we had to spend a lot of time working out the kinks,” junior middle blocker Deja Harris said. “But now there’s a consistency and a simple ease to the game now. We believe in each individual, and we know they will take control and handle their business.”
The win can be attributed to a successful offense, with a 45-26 advantage over Fresno State in kills.
Senior middle blocker Baylee Little and Harris both led the offense out of the middle with 12 kills each, while freshman setter Gabi Peoples handing out 34 assists.
Despite getting the glory on the stat sheet, Harris acknowledges that it all starts out with a pass.
“We were able to play a full offensive game due to our passers and our serve receive. They have been passing consistently, match to match, which is allowing us to use our full offensive game plan,” said Harris.
The first set featured two 7-1 runs by the Scarlet and Black which proved too much for the Bulldogs to handle. Despite pulling within three multiple times, Fresno State was unable to complete a comeback.
However it was the Bulldogs who came out with the lead in the second set, getting out to an early 5-1 lead.
Not to be outdone, SDSU posted its most efficient hitting of the night to respond with a 19-4 run. SDSU also benefitted from many Fresno State attacking errors during this span.
The third set was the most competitive of the match, with the score being tied over half way into the match at 15-15. Harris then took command from the middle, notching two kills and a block during a 6-0 run to put the Aztecs up permanently.
“Runs are what build up momentum and confidence for a team,” said Harris, “They sent back a lot of over passes, which allowed our hitters to put an easy ball down. . . It’s been a lot of fun on the court.”
The Aztecs travel to Air Force Academy on Sunday, Nov. 5, where they will look to continue their winning streak.
