Deja Harris matched her career-high with 19 kills
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo courtesy goaztecs.com
August 24, 2018 (San Diego) - The San Diego State volleyball team dropped a five-set decision (19-25, 25-17, 25-14, 23-25, 14-16) in its season opener against CSU Bakersfield at Peterson Gym to begin the 2018 Aztec Invitational.
After dropping the first set, the Aztecs posted a pair of wins in dominant fashion, posting hitting percentages of .486 and .522, respectively, in the second and third sets to take a 2-1 lead. Senior Deja Harris, junior Hannah Turnlund and freshman Victoria O’Sullivan ledge the charge in over that stretch, each contributing eight kills over the two sets.
Despite posting a better hitting percentage (.326 - .222), more total kills (70-54), more assists (65-50), more digs (55-40), and more blocks (eight to six) over the course of the match, the Aztecs fell victim to a late rallies by the Roadrunners in the fourth and fifth sets. With the Aztecs holding an 18-13 advantage in the fourth, the Roadrunners collected a 4-0 run to cut their deficit to one. CSUB eventually claimed the game, 25-23, after back-to-back kills by Briannah Mariner ended the set.
The fifth set featured another back-and-forth battle and with the final set knotted at 11-11, Harris provided the Aztecs with a 12-11 advantage with her 18th kill of the night. The Aztecs and Roadrunners went back-and-forth for the next few services, and with Harris’ 19th kill of the night, the Aztecs tied the match at 14-14 before ultimately falling after a Leisa Elisaia kill and an SDSU attack error.
Four Aztecs finished with double-digit kill totals, including a career-high 19 for Harris. Harris also led the Aztecs with a .516 hitting percentage, while Ashlynn Dunbar and Turnlund registered 16 and 14 kills, respectively. In her collegiate debut, O’Sullivan notched 13 kills on 31 swings.
Dunbar logged an eye-catching seven service aces while recording a match-high 17 digs, setting a new career-high in both categories. Delaney Taylor posted 59 assists in her SDSU debut, while Turnlund turned in a career-high 14 digs.
NOTES:
- Ashlynn Dunbar’s seven service aces were the most by an Aztec since Aime Cordeiro recorded seven at Oregon on Sept. 9, 2006.
- Deja Harris matched her career-high with 19 kills.
- SDSU fell for the first time against CSU Bakersfield, having been undefeated against the Roadrunners in their previous five meetings.
- SDSU falls to 8-3 in its last 11 five-set matches.
UP NEXT
San Diego State concludes the 2018 Aztec Invitational with a pair of matches on Saturday, starting with an 11:30 a.m. meeting with Seattle U and ending the weekend with a 7:00 p.m. contest against Portland. Tomorrow’s SDSU-Portland match will air live on the Mountain West Network.