Aug. 30, 2014
LET THE SEASON BEGIN San Diego State will begin its 2014 volleyball season on Friday, Aug. 29, when it faces Arizona State as part of the four-team Chevron Wahine Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawai'i. That match gets underway at 5:00 p.m. (HT) in the Stan Sheriff Center on the UH campus. The other tourney participants include Ohio and Hawai'i, the host school. The complete tourney schedule is as follows:Friday, August 29Saturday, August 30 San Diego State vs. Ohio...........5:30 p.m. (HT) Arizona State vs. Hawai'i..........8:30 p.m. (HT)Sunday, August 31 Arizona State vs. Ohio.............3:00 p.m. (HT) San Diego State vs. Hawai'i........5:30 p.m. (HT)Live stats will be available for each of SDSU's matches this weekend with links located at GoAztecs.com. In addition, the match against Hawai'i on Sunday (Aug. 31) will also have live video streaming available with a link on the SDSU web site.
SERIES RECORDS San Diego State leads the series against Arizona State 13-5. The tams last met in 2010 when the Aztecs took a four-game match in Tempe. ASU had won the three previous meetings, but the teams had not played each other since 1994. The Aztecs' match vs. Ohio on Saturday will be the first-ever contest between the schools. San Diego State's record against Hawai'i stands at 4-37 in a series that began in 1977. The Rainbow Wahine have won the last 22 contests against SDSU, most recently in 2010 in Honolulu. SDSU's last victory over UH came in 1980.
FOR OPENERS San Diego State's record in season openers stands at 21-17 since the sport began at SDSU in 1976. This will mark just the Aztecs' third opener away from home since 2000. SDSU has a record of 5-4 when it begins the season on the road.
AZTEC VETERANS SDSU returns two starters from a team that compiled a mark of 16-14 overall and 11-9 in Mountain West play. Those starters include right side hitter Chaiymin Steel and middle blocker Kaja Sandberg. Steel averaged 2.07 kills and 0.67 blocks per set while Sandberg recorded 1.46 kills and 1.03 blocks per set. Other returnees who saw significant playing time include outside hitters Baylee Little (1.42 kps) and Halle Aiken (0.82 kps) plus setter Chloe Mathis (4.75 ast/s). Little was the lone true freshman to see action in 2013.
THE REDSHIRT FIVE SDSU has five redshirts (four freshmen, one sophomore) back for the 2014 campaign, a number that includes the daughter of a prominent former Aztec athlete, an All-American honoree, an all-state performer, a district player of the year and a league player of the year.
*** Alexis Cage, an all-league honoree from Corona del Mar HS in Newport Beach, is the daughter of former SDSU basketball al-American and NBA player Michael Cage.
*** Middle blocker Cassie O'Hara was named an honorable mention All-American as a senior at Victory HS in Victory N.Y.
*** Libero Alexa Saba was named the district player of the year last season at Hamilton HS in Chandler, Ariz.
*** Defensive specialist/libero Danielle Bolden was selected her league's co-MVP during her senior year at Capistrano Valley HS in Mission Viejo.
*** Rounding out the redshirts is sophomore middle blocker Jessica Pino, a transfer from UC Santa Barbara who did not play volleyball for the Gauchos in 2012, but appeared in three basketball games during the 2012-13 campaign.
RECRUITING CLASS San Diego State's 2014 volleyball recruiting calls has been ranked 25th in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com. The group of five incoming players includes Jensen Cunningham, 6-4 MB, Horizon (Scottsdale, Arizona); Courtney Eckenrode, 5-7 S, The Woodlands (Texas); Deja Harris, 6-2 MB, Calvary Chapel (Las Vegas, Nevada); Leslie Pease, 5-11 S/OH, Roseville (California); and Devyn Pritchard, 5-7 Libero, Temescal Canyon (Lake Elsinore, California).
*** Eckenrode, a 5-9 setter, led The Woodlands to an undefeated season and Texas 5A title last fall and was named Texas Gatorade Player of the Year as well as National Player of the Year from MaxPreps and USA Today.
*** Harris was named the 2013 Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year and a PrepVolleyball.com Senior Ace. Harris is a gifted athlete who has natural blocking ability and will add to the team's offensive production.
*** The third Senior Ace in this recruiting class is 6-3 MB Cunningham, who led her loaded high school team with a .399 hitting percentage while spending some of the season attacking on the outside.
*** Rounding out the recruiting class is 951 Elite libero Devyn Pritchard (all-league, all-area) and 5-11 Force Volleyball S/OH Leslie Pease (all-league).
TRANSFER ADDED The Aztecs have also added outside hitter Ciara Brown, a junior transfer from South Florida where she played the past two seasons. She attended Overland High School in Aurora, Colo., where she was a four-time all-conference honoree.
HOME SWEET HOME Over the past three seasons, San Diego State has compiled a record of 35-5 (.875) on Aztec Court in Peterson Gym. The Aztecs' current win streak on its home court stands at five matches. The facility was renovated this past summer with a new floor along with new bleachers and doors plus the addition of a 25-foot ceiling fan.