SAN DIEGO — For two sets, San Diego State looked firmly in control against Arizona.
Then everything changed.
The Aztecs hosted their home opener on Friday night at Peterson Gym with two of their strongest offensive sets of the season, but Arizona responded by winning three straight to hand SDSU a five-set loss, 16-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19, 15-8.
SDSU (5-4) finished with more kills than Arizona, 63-48, but the Aztecs' attack deteriorated as the match progressed. After hitting .395 and .371 in the first two sets, SDSU hit just .042 in the third, -.111 in the fourth and -.091 in the decisive fifth. Arizona, meanwhile, finished with a .204 hitting percentage and 13 team blocks compared with nine for SDSU.
The opening set gave little indication of what was coming.
SDSU piled up 19 kills while committing only four attacking errors to hit .395. After the teams were tied at 7, the Aztecs began creating separation, eventually building a 24-15 advantage before Ella Schabort closed the set with a kill for the 25-16 win.
Natalie Tullar/@nstphotography_
The Aztecs continued rolling in the second.
A Zara Stewart service ace helped SDSU jump ahead 4-2 before kills from Annabelle De Jager and Schabort extended the advantage to 7-2. Arizona eventually pulled even at 10, but SDSU answered and regained control. Schabort delivered eight kills in the set while De Jager added six as the Aztecs hit .371 and took the frame 25-19.
Schabort became SDSU's most consistent offensive option throughout the night. She finished with a match-high 19 kills on .220 hitting, adding four block assists. De Jager followed with 13 kills while hitting .290, and Taelyn Bentley was one of the Aztecs' most efficient attackers with 10 kills and a .421 hitting percentage. Setter Kendall Mairs recorded 39 assists and 20 digs, while Stewart finished with 17 digs.
Zara Stewart serves. Natalie Tullar/@nstphotography_
But Arizona found a way to disrupt an SDSU offense that had been nearly unstoppable through the first two sets.
The Wildcats' block became particularly damaging in the third. SDSU committed 12 attacking errors and was held to a .042 hitting percentage as Arizona recorded seven team blocks in the set. The Wildcats broke away from a 10-10 tie with a 6-1 run, eventually building a 19-13 advantage before taking the set 25-18.
The offensive struggles followed SDSU into the fourth.
The Aztecs briefly held a 7-4 advantage after a Schabort service ace, but Arizona responded with nine consecutive points to turn the deficit into a 13-7 lead. SDSU attempted to claw its way back, getting within 16-14, but the Wildcats never surrendered the lead and forced a fifth set with a 25-19 victory. SDSU managed just seven kills against 11 errors in the frame.
By the fifth, Arizona had seized the momentum.
SDSU opened with a 3-1 advantage, but Arizona tied the set at 3 before beginning to pull away. Three consecutive Aztec attacking errors helped turn a 5-5 tie into a 9-6 Arizona lead. The Wildcats extended the margin to 14-7 and closed the comeback with a Kennedy Osunsanmi kill for the 15-8 win. SDSU finished the final set with only four kills and six attacking errors, while Arizona hit .368.
The loss was a dramatic reversal from the opening two sets. SDSU totaled 38 kills with only 10 errors across the first two frames. Over the final three, the Aztecs managed 25 kills against 29 errors. Arizona also finished with 13 blocks, using its defense to increasingly limit an SDSU attack that had dictated the match early.
For the Aztecs, the match showed both sides of their early-season potential. At their best, they produced 19 kills in consecutive sets and hit above .370 in each. But once Arizona adjusted defensively, SDSU struggled to find another answer, allowing a two-set advantage to turn into a five-set defeat.
The Aztecs faced a crosstown rival in the University of San Diego Toreros (5-5) on Saturday, both teams’ final nonconference games. The Aztecs lost 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-16, 25-15).
The Aztecs begin Pac-12 play away on Sept. 24 at Colorado State at 5 p.m. PDT. This year is their first in the Pac-12. Watch on the Pac-12 Youtube channel.
The Toreros begin WCC play at home on Sept. 24 against St. Mary’s at 7 p.m.
