Sept. 6, 2017
JLABS Challenge Preview
Loyola Marymount (3-3) at San Diego State (2-4)
Friday, Sept. 8 | 7 p.m. PT | Aztec Court
Long Beach State (1-5) at San Diego State (2-4)
Saturday, Sept. 9 | 11 a.m. PT | Aztec Court
Pacific (3-4) at San Diego State (2-4)
Saturday, Sept. 9 | 7 p.m. PT | Aztec Court
Weekly Release | Tournament Page
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State returns to the friendly environs of Montezuma Mesa this weekend when it plays host to the JLABS Challenge at Aztec Court. SDSU opens the tournament on Friday, Sept. 8, with a single match against Loyola Marymount, starting at 7 p.m. PT.
On Saturday, Sept. 9, the Aztecs will battle two additional opponents, squaring off against Long Beach State at 11 a.m. PT, followed by a showdown with Pacific at 7 p.m. PT.
SERIES RECORDS
> The Aztecs are 12-13 against Loyola Marymount in 25 all-time encounters, having dropped 11 straight to the Lions dating back to 1996. The two sides last met in 2015, with LMU posting a 3-0 triumph in Los Angeles. In that match, Alexis Cage led the Scarlet and Black with nine kills and seven digs, while Alexandra Psoma finished with eight put-aways and seven scoops of her own. SDSU is 75-85 against current members of the West Coast Conference.
> Although the Aztecs own a 24-18 all-time record against Long Beach State, the two teams have faced one another just four times since 1995. Last year, the Aztecs snapped a three-match losing streak to the 49ers with a 3-0 victory at home. In that contest, Psoma and Ashlynn Dunbar recorded 13 kills apiece, while Deja Harris had 11 put-aways and .474 on the evening. SDSU won 13 straight meetings in the series from Nov. 14, 1979-Nov. 9, 1984. The two former Big West rivals also locked horns in the 2001 NCAA Tournament, with LBSU claiming a 3-0 decision in Long Beach. The Aztecs are 148-106 against current members of the Big West.
> San Diego State and Pacific will be facing one another for just the second time since 1989 on Saturday. The Aztecs are 6-16 against the Tigers overall, including a 3-0 defeat in the 2015 home opener. Baylee Little led the Scarlet and Black with 12 kills in that match, while Harris hit .500 on nine kills to go with three blocks. SDSU's last victory in the series occured in 1988 when it emerged with a four-set triumph at home. A charter member of the WCC in 1952, Pacific rejoined the league in 2013 after a 42-year absence.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Loyola Marymount (3-3) posted a 2-1 mark at the Oregon Classic, logging a pair of four-set decisions over Northern Illinois and Texas-Rio Grande Valley, sandwiched around a narrow five-set loss to the 14th-ranked Ducks. The Lions return seven letterwinners, three starters and the libero from last year's squad that compiled a 19-11 overall record and tied for third in the West Coast Conference. LMU has been led thus far by outside hitter Savannah Slattery, a 2016 WCC all-freshman selection who is averaging 3.17 kills per set, while junior opposite Sara Kovac follows closely with 3.09 put-aways per frame. In addition, the Lions have received a boost from senior libero Kristen Castellanos (4.13 dps) and sophomore middle blocker Emma Johnson (0.96 bps), while sophomores Tess Reid (5.70 aps, 1.74 dps) and Jesse Prichard (5.48 aps, 2.74 dps) share the setter responsiblities. Head coach Aaron Mansfield is in his first season at LMU after spending five years at WCC rival Santa Clara, including the last three as associate head coach of the Broncos' indoor squad and head coach of the school's sand program.
> Long Beach State is off to a 1-5 start after dropping three straight to Montana (0-3), Kansas (1-3) and Utah Valley (1-3) last weekend at the Wolverine Invitational in Orem, Utah. The 49ers return eight letterwinners, three starters and the libero from last year's team that amassed a 21-10 overall record and placed second in the Big West Conference. LBSU has been paced so far this season by junior outside hitter Megan Kruidhof, who enters the weekend ranked sixth in the Big West with 3.86 kills per set while adding 2.43 digs and 0.62 blocks per frame. Sophomore middle blocker YiZhi Xue also finds herself among the league leaders in hitting percentage (4th, .429) and blocks (1.05/set), while sophomore libero Hailey Harward occupies the seventh spot in digs (4.00/set) and ranks ninth in service aces (0.33/set). Not to be outdone, senior setter Alexis Patterson is seventh in the conference this week with an average of 8.33 aps. The 49ers have their first new head coach in over three decades when former LBSU setter Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer took over the reins last June. As a player, McKienzie-Fuerbringer helped the Beach to its second national championship in 1993 and later returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach from 1999-2001. She also spent time as an assistant at UCLA from 2010-14.
> Pacific (3-4) logged a 1-2 record last week at the Utah State Tournament, where it defeated UC Santa Barbara in four sets sandwiched around a pair of five-set losses to the host Aggies and Montana State. The Tigers return two honorable mention all-WCC performers from a year ago in sophomore middle blocker Ashlyn Fleming and senior libero Katrin Gotterba. Fleming currently occupies the second spot in the WCC with a .424 hitting percentage and ranks eighth in the league with 1.07 bps, while Gotterba finds herself at No. 2 in the conference this week with 4.38 dps. UOP has also received a tremendous boost from freshman setter Hanne De Schrijver, who ranks eighth in the nation with a WCC-best 12.21 aps, while sophomore outside hitter Emily Baptista ranks fourth in the league with 3.90 kills per set. Head coach Greg Gibbons is in his eighth year on the Stockton, California, campus after leading the Tigers to a 15-15 record and a 9-9 mark in the WCC last season.
SPARTAN INVITATIONAL RECAP
> San Diego State posted a 1-2 record at the Spartan Invitational last weekend in East Lansing, Michigan.
> After falling to host and 23rd-ranked Michigan State by a 3-0 count in the opener, the Aztecs turned the tables with a sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
> Against the Islanders, SDSU hit .344 for the match and served up eight aces - both season bests.
> In addition, the Aztecs recorded three-set highs for the year in kills (48), assists (46) and digs (39).
> SDSU concluded the tournament with a tough 3-0 loss to Marshall.
> Despite the sweep, the finale against the Thundering Herd was a see-saw affair, with the two sides combining for 21 ties and 10 lead changes in the last two sets.
ALL-TOURNAMENT AZTECS
> Following the Spartan Invitational, middle blocker Deja Harris and outside hitter Ashlynn Dunbar were named to the seven-player all-tournament team.
> Harris hit .432 for the weekend and served up five aces to go with six blocks.
> Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Aztec junior recorded her second-highest attack percentage of the year at. 643, blasting 10 kills with just one error in 14 attempts.
> Harris also posted a career-high three service aces against Michigan State and finished with a .562 hitting percentage (11-2-16) vs. Marshall.
> Meanwhile, Dunbar compiled a .361 attack percentage in three matches while adding four assists and two blocks.
> Against Marshall, the SDSU sophomore hit .474 on 12 kills - both season highs.
> In addition, Dunbar added tied her career best with two assists against TAMU-CC and came up with a pair of blocks.
AZTECS AMONG MOUNTAIN WEST LEADERS
> After the second weekend of the season, middle blocker Deja Harris and defensive specialist Devyn Pritchard are among the Mountain West leaders in various categories.
> Harris ranks third in the conference with a .433 hitting percentage and is tied for the sixth spot with 1.00 blocks per set.
> Pritchard also landed in the eighth position this week with 4.06 digs per set. > As a team, SDSU ranks among the top half of the conference in hitting percentage (3rd, .233), kills (4th, 13.63/set) and assists (4th, 12.84/set).
NOTHIN' LIKE HOME COOKIN'
> In 38 seasons of Aztec volleyball, San Diego State has compiled a 371-186 record (.666) at home, which represents the second-best home winning percentage among current Mountain West members.
> Last season, the Scarlet and Black posted an 11-6 mark on Aztec Court at Peterson Gym compared to a 3-8 ledger in true road matches. In addition, SDSU went 3-1 in neutral-site encounters during the 2016 campaign.
> In head coach Deitre Collins-Parker's tenure, the Aztecs have amassed a 68-31 record (.687) at home, including a 14-0 mark during the 2012 season when SDSU captured the Mountain West championship.
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