 "Photo: Daniel Sakow, Staff Photographer")
After a devastating loss to UNLV at home on Wednesday, it looked like the season could be heading into a tailspin for the San Diego State volleyball team.
But two days later SDSU went on the road and found new life with a dominating 3-0 victory over TCU (15-14, 3-10 in Mountain West Conference play) on Friday, sweeping the Horned Frogs for the second time this season.
The win came with the Aztecs reeling from the loss to UNLV and ensured that SDSU (15-12, 7-7 MWC) would finish no lower than .500 this season - a marked improvement from last year's 4-25 record.
"The girls have done a pretty good job this year of rebounding after a disappointing defeat," head coach Mark Warner said. "They're pretty determined to be good because they hate losing."
With the Aztecs playing their fourth game without injured freshman outside hitter Alicia Waller, who still leads the MWC in service aces per game, the Horned Frogs' star player, Anna Vaughn, was also sidelined with a sprained ankle.
"Without Waller we're not as good," Warner said, "so they weren't as good as they could be without (Vaughn)."
In the absence of Waller, SDSU rode the offensive production of senior middle blocker Lindsey Noll, who hit an astounding career-high .765 and committed only one error in the three games.
TCU managed to put up a fight in the final two games, but the Aztecs were able to control the match and march on to a 3-0 victory (30-19, 30-26, 30-27) in Fort Worth.
"We knew it'd be tough on their home court," said junior outside hitter Melanie Greene, who recorded her conference-leading 13th double-double of the season. "But we knew we had to win so we went in with confidence and got it done."
But for every high there is a low and SDSU found that out two days earlier against UNLV (14-12, 10-4 MWC).
After splitting the first two games against the Rebels on Wednesday in Peterson Gym, game three was knotted at 28.
After a long rally that featured multiple spectacular defensive plays, the Aztecs were called for a double-hit on a set by freshman setter Leah Lathrop. An irate Warner argued with head referee Tom Pingel, but UNLV was awarded the point and went on to take the game.
"We had a bad call in crunch time, when he didn't call any other sets on that play," Warner said. "That's huge right there; that call turned the whole thing around."
In the fourth and final game, SDSU struggled offensively, hitting a meager .059 and falling 3-1 (30-25, 26-30, 30-28, 30-21) to the Rebels.
"We didn't attack the ball enough to cause them trouble," Warner said of his team's .168 attack percentage. "If (UNLV) is going to be relentless on defense, which they were, you have to be relentless on offense."
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