SAN DIEGO - San Diego State’s volleyball team (12-11, MW 7-5) couldn’t secure a win in their rematch with Utah State (14-7, MW 11-0), losing the match in four sets (25-23, 25-20, 25-20, 25-23) on Thursday at Peterson Gym.

The two conference contenders faced each other again, just one week after the Aggies narrowly took a win over the Aztecs in five sets. Thursday’s win is Utah’s 12th straight.

The Aztecs led the Aggies in kills, 57-51, and digs, 44-42. However, Utah was able to secure the win through their eight aces and SDSU’s 11 service errors.

In the first set, SDSU came out strong with 16 kills, six from Ella Schabort. The Scarlet and Black were able to secure the set win despite 15 ties. The largest lead of the set was three, when SDSU was up 16-13. The set tied at 23, but a kill from Madison Corf and an ace from Zara Stewart secured the set for the Aztecs.

For set two, Schabort and Taylor Underwood led the team with kills, four apiece. SDSU led the Aggies in kills, 13-11, but with 14 errors Utah was able to shut the door on the Aztecs, tying the match up at one set each.

The Aggies also took set three, their kills at 14 and SDSU’s at 12. SDSU’s 11 errors on the attack, serve, and reception contributed to the set loss.

Coming into the fourth, the Aztecs were ahead or tied for most of the set. Up 19-16, the Aztecs allowed Utah to take the lead after a 6-0 run to go up 22-19. However, SDSU went on its own mini 3-0 run to even the score at 22. Utah closed out the set with three kills.

“It’s crucial to just win tight points, from 22 to 25,” Brent Hilliard, SDSU’s head coach said after the game. “Most of those games were within those ranges, and they were better on late-game play than we were.”

In four of the last five matches, SDSU has struggled to close out sets. The Aztecs were up 23-18 in a set against Grand Canyon on Oct. 16 when GCU went on a 7-0 run and took the set. When at UNLV on Oct. 18, SDSU couldn’t close out the second set despite being up 24-22, losing the set 29-27.

While facing the Aggies for the first time, the Scarlet and Black let Utah go on a 9-0 run when they were up 21-16 and lost the set 25-21. Then on Thursday, the Aztecs were up 19-16 when the Aggies went on a 6-0 run to eventually take the set 25-23.

Schabort and Underwood led all players with 15 kills each, a season high for Schabort. Underwood has reached double-digit kills 18 times within the last 20 appearances.

SDSU’s head coach also confirmed that their middle blocker, Amber Keen, will be out for the rest of the season after tearing her meniscus while at UNLV.

“It’s given us a different look to our offense and that’s something that we’re working through in these last three games since Amber went down, and that will get better as well, when we have a chance to practice it,” Hilliard said, staying positive after Keen’s injury.

SDSU also lost their rematch at Peterson Gym against Boise State (15-8, 7-5 MW) in four sets (26-24, 25-20, 25-19, 25-20) on Saturday. The two losses dropped SDSU to sixth in the Mountain West Conference.

Next up, the Aztecs are in Arizona against Grand Canyon University (14-8, 6-5 MW) for their rematch on Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. The game will be aired on the Mountain West Network.