Oct. 18, 2011
Box Score
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Behind a 18-kill and 12-dig performance from junior outside hitter Amber Tatsch, the 16th-ranked University of San Diego women's volleyball team ran its winning streak to eight with a thrilling 3-2 win over cross-town rival San Diego State University Tuesday evening in a non-conference match at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
With the 25-13, 13-25, 20-25, 25-18, 15-4 win, the Toreros improve to 21-1 overall, run their winning streak to eight games and have now defeated the Aztecs for the ninth consecutive time. With the loss, the Aztecs fall to 12-6 overall and saw their four-match winning streak come to an end.
Tatsch was the lone player of the match in double-digit kills, as she recorded 18, while posting a double-double with 12 digs, and she served up six aces. Chloe Ferrari had a productive day with nine kills, while hitting for a .300 clip, and Sandra Lozic recorded seven kills. Rachel Alvey recorded a team-best 29 assists in the win, while Kandiss Anderson led the defense with 13 digs. As a team, USD hit .153.
In the first set, USD came out firing on all cylinders, as they cruised to a 25-13 win. In the early going, the Aztecs managed to stay close with USD, but with the score knotted at 5-all, a SDSU attack error ignited a 7-0 USD run that was capped on a Katie Hoekman kill to give USD all the momentum and a 12-5 advantage. The Aztecs simply could not recover, as USD proved to be too strong on their way to a 25-13 win.
In the second set, it was almost the complete opposite of the first set, with the Aztecs firing on all cylinders, as SDSU evened the match with a 25-13 win of their own. SDSU raced out to a 4-1 lead, only to see the Toreros then bounce back and answer with a 4-1 run of their own to pull back to within one at 6-5. But the Aztecs then went on a 5-2 run to regain the momentum. USD would hang around for a bit, but eventually San Diego State would open up a seven-point lead at 17-10, and never looked back as they went on to claim a 25-13 win.
After the break, SDSU stunned the Toreros by grabbing the set with a 25-20 win. In the early going, it was a sea saw affair with both teams taking their turn with the lead and neither team having a lead bigger than two. Then with the Aztecs up 9-8, they would go on a 6-2 run to grab some breathing room and take a 15-10 lead. USD just could not recover, as the Aztecs held off a late Torero push to force USD's backs against the wall.
The Toreros then responded in the fourth set, as they opened things up on a 6-1 run, to grab all the early momentum. The Aztecs then clawed their way back into the set and got back to within one at 9-8. However, a SDSU attack error then ignited a 5-1 USD run that was bookended on a Carrie Baird kill to give USD a 14-9 lead. SDSU could not recover from this blow, as the Toreros would force a fifth and deicing set with a 25-18 win.
In the final set, San Diego flexed their muscle and proved to be the better team in the city, as they completely dominated the Aztecs, hitting .545 for the frame, while the Aztecs hit -.214. The Toreros opened things up with a 7-0 run to pump up the enthusiastic Torero crowd on hand. SDSU looked lost on the court and could not slow down the Torero hitters, as USD recorded kill after kill after kill, and eventually won the match with a 15-4 thumping of the Aztecs.
The Toreros will return to action on Saturday as they resume West Coast Conference play with a road trip to Provo, Utah to take on WCC newcomer BYU in a 6 pm. match.
