Oct. 2, 2017
Match Week Preview
San Diego State (7-10, 1-3 MW) at Fresno State (6-10, 1-3 MW)
Tuesday, Oct. 3 | 7 p.m. PT | Save Mart Center | Fresno, Calif.
Series: SDSU 30-11
Air Force (7-11, 0-4 MW) at San Diego State (7-10, 1-3 MW)
Saturday, Oct. 7 | 6 p.m. PT | Aztec Court | San Diego, Calif.
Series: SDSU 36-5
AZTECS PREPARE FOR TWO MOUNTAIN WEST MATCHES THIS WEEK
> San Diego State continues its Mountain West schedule this week when it takes on Fresno State and Air Force.
> The Aztecs will make a quick trip to the Central Valley to face the Bulldogs on Tuesday, Oct. 3, before returning to Montezuma Mesa for a Saturday skirmish against the Falcons on Oct. 7.
> In addition to live stats, both matches will be streamed on GoAztecs.com via the Mountain West Network.
> SDSU split two encounters at home last week, falling to San José State in a five-set nail-biter before rebounding with a sweep of Nevada.
> The Aztecs' next victory will give head coach Deitre Collins-Parker 300 wins for her career.
> San Diego State is 7-0 this year when maintaining a higher hitting percentage and 3-0 when out-blocking its opponent.
SERIES RECORDS
> San Diego State owns a 30-11 varsity record against Fresno State dating back to 1980.
> The Aztecs and Bulldogs split their two matches a year ago, with each side emerging triumphant on its home floor.
> SDSU is 9-7 in 16 previous trips to Fresno since 1986, including a hotly contested 3-1 setback last year (25-23, 26-28, 20-25, 27-29), when three of the four sets were decided by two points.
> After Fresno State joined the Mountain West in 2012, the Aztecs have posted an 8-2 record in 10 meetings versus the Bulldogs.
> In last season's four-set defeat at Save Mart Center, Deja Harris paced the Aztecs with a match-high 17 kills and added six total blocks, while Alexandra Psoma and Alexis Cage launched 14 put-aways each.
> In addition, Devyn Pritchard led all players with 19 digs, while Cage added nine digs and four block assists.
> As a team, SDSU maintained the upper-hand in kills (62-47) and digs (74-60), but was plagued by 36 hitting errors and 10 receiving errors while getting out-blocked 14.0-7.0.
> After posting a .302 attack percentage with 20 kills in the first set, the Aztecs hit .124 the rest of the way, including a .000 clip in the fourth frame.
> SDSU sports a 36-5 all-time ledger against Air Force dating back to 1996.
> The Scarlet and Black is 19-1 in 20 meetings versus the Falcons at Aztec Court, including a 3-1 triumph last season.
> San Diego State's lone blemish at home occurred in a five-set heartbreaker during the 2015 campaign.
> In last year's 3-1 triumph over Air Force at home, the Aztecs dropped the first set after hitting minus-.083 on just eight kills, but posted a .256 attack percentage the rest of the way, including a .391 pace in the second frame.
> Individually, SDSU was led by Psoma (.458), who finished with 14 kills, while Indigo Thompson notched a double-double with 34 assists and 10 digs.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Fresno State (6-10, 1-3 MW) split a pair of home matches last week, earning a four-set victory over Nevada (25-20,25-18, 19-25, 25-19) before suffering a reversal of fortune against San José State in a 3-1 loss (25-17, 18-25, 21-25, 22-25). Prior to those two contests, the Bulldogs played just one match at home during their non-conference slate, defeating CSU Bakersfield 3-0 on Sept. 5. Offensively, Fresno State is led by junior Taylor Slover, who ranks ninth in the Mountain West with 3.32 kills per set, while fellow classmates Brielle Hefner (2.65/set) and Aubrey Folk (2.23/set) are averaging more than two put-aways per frame. In addition, sophomore Madelyn Halteman occupies the seventh position in the conference this week in assists (8.82/set) and ranks sixth in service aces (0.29/set), just behind senior Jacqueline Hutcheson (0.30/set), who also landed in the eighth spot with 3.98 digs per set. Not to be outdone, junior Haile Watson finds herself in the seventh slot among the league leaders with 1.15 blocks per frame. Collectively, the Bulldogs are third in the MW this week with 2.60 blocks per set, while its 1.35 service aces per frame ranks fifth. On the flip side, Fresno State is eighth with a .205 hitting percentage, while its 11.88 kills per set ranks 10th. Head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell is entering her 10th season in the Central Valley after spending two years directing the Hofstra program in New York, highlighted by a Colonial Athletic Association championship and an NCAA tournament appearance in 2006. Her career record stands at 170-179, including a 126-157 mark with the Bulldogs.
> Air Force (7-11, 0-4 MW) has dropped five straight matches, including four straight to open Mountain West action. Last week, the Falcons came up empty in a pair of 3-0 losses at home to Wyoming (20-25, 21-25, 22-25) and No. 24 Colorado State (21-25, 19-25, 19-25). Prior to Saturday's showdown at SDSU, Air Force will travel to Fresno State for a Thursday night encounter. The Falcons are 5-5 this year in matches away from their home floor. Individually, sophomore Denise Ssozi is Air Force's primary threat, averaging 3.49 kills per set, which ranks fifth in conference to start the week. In addition, Air Force has received a solid contribution from junior Abigail Miksch (2.92 kills/set), while senior Piper Heineck (2.32 kills/set) finds herself among the league leaders in blocks (3rd, 1.30/set) and service aces (4th, 0.30/set). Heineck recorded the MW's highest individual attack percentage in a single match this year with an .846 clip (12-1-13) against The Citadel on Sept. 2. Junior Shanleigh Conlan has been the team's primary setter this season, averaging 7.73 assists per set to go with 2.17 digs and 0.26 service aces per frame. As a team, the Falcons occupy the ninth spot in the league at the start of the week with a .172 hitting percentage and an average of 11.96 kills per set. Marc Swindle is in his second season as head coach at the Academy after spending six years as an assistant with the program. His career record is 17-32.
AZTECS AMONG MOUNTAIN WEST LEADERS
> Entering the third week of conference play, Deja Harris, Devyn Pritchard and Gabi Peoples are among the MW leaders in various categories.
> Harris ranks third in the league with a .367 hitting percentage and occupies the eighth spot with 1.13 blocks per set.
> Pritchard also climbed into the fifth position this week with 4.15 digs per set, while Peoples enters the charts at No. 10 with 7.77 assists per frame.
> As a team, SDSU ranks among the top half of the conference in kills (4th, 13.10/set) and assists (5th, 12.08/set).
NOTHIN' LIKE HOME COOKIN'
> In 38 seasons of Aztec volleyball, San Diego State has compiled a 374-188 record (.665) 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 71-33 record (.683) at home, including a 14-0 mark during the 2012 season when SDSU captured the Mountain West championship.
POWER TO THE PEOPLES
> Setter Gabi Peoples is off to a strong start in her freshman campaign, averaging 7.77 assists and 1.38 digs in 53 sets played.
> The Beaverton, Oregon, native has cracked the starting lineup 10 times this season, including the last nine matches.
> Over the last 10 outings, Peoples has averaged 9.53 assists and 1.50 digs per set.
> Against San José State on Sept. 16, she tied her career-high 47 assists and shoveled up six digs while adding one solo block and two block assists. Two days later vs. Nevada, set a personal-best with four block assists and went 3-3 in attack attempts.