San Diego State volleyball won three out of four sets (25-12, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21) against Long Beach State on Sept. 19 at Peterson Gym.
Both teams battled during the last three sets after the Aztecs (7-3) cruised to a win in the first set.
Sophomore outside hitter Victoria O’Sullivan said she was glad every player on the court contributed.
“It’s fun knowing that everyone can put the ball down when they need to and everyone can get their own points,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s good that it’s not coming from one person. That’s what being on a team is all about.”
O’Sullivan had 14 kills and a .222 attack percentage. She was helped by senior outside hitter Hannah Turnlund, who led SDSU with 17 kills and a .306 attack percentage. Junior outside hitter Lexie Hamrick added 8 kills and 6 blocks.
Hamrick, who stands at six feet three inches tall, said she used her height to her advantage on defense against the 49ers.
“I think my height definitely helps,” Hamrick said. “Just understanding how to watch the hitter and where she’s going just so I can beat (her) there first.”
During the first set, the Aztecs went on a 10-0 run to extend their lead to 24-11 and eventually closed out the set at 25-12.
O’Sullivan said the run contributed to the energy that the team used in the rest of the game.
“It’s always fun to start off on a good note, and carry that into the rest of the game with that energy,” said O’Sullivan. “We could’ve built more energy off of it but it’s a good start.”
After losing the second set, the 49ers responded in the third. The Aztecs, however, recovered to win the game in the fourth set (25-21).
Head coach Deitre Collins-Parker said the team had to make some late adjustments to take the victory.
“It’s not like (Long Beach State) did anything to us in that game,” Collins-Parker said. “We just had to steady out taking care of the ball on our side. So we just got back under control.”
SDSU entered the game averaging .63 aces per set but totaled 5 aces in Thursday’s win.
Collins-Parker said the Aztecs were more efficient on their serves compared to their performance at the GCU Invitational last weekend.
“Our goal at the beginning of the game was to win the serve-pass game, so we needed to pass well and serve,” Collins-Parker said. “I thought we could’ve passed a little better, but we served really well.”
The Aztecs seek their eighth win of the season against the University of San Diego tomorrow.
