Oct. 25, 2017
SAN DIEGO -
Match Week Preview
San Diego State (11-12, 5-5 MW) at Nevada (6-16, 4-6 MW)
Thursday, Oct. 26 | 6:30 p.m. PT | Virginia Street Gym | Reno, Nev.
Series: SDSU 8-3
San Diego State (11-12, 5-5 MW) at San José State (14-7, 6-4 MW)
Saturday, Oct. 28 | 2 p.m. PT | Spartan Gym | San Jose, Calif.
Series: SDSU 20-10
AZTECS HIT THE ROAD TO FACE NEVADA, SAN JOSÉ STATE
> Fresh off of two impressive victories at home, San Diego State looks to keep the momentum rolling with a pair of Mountain West road matches at Nevada and San José State.
> The Aztecs, who have won five of their last seven, will square off against the Wolf Pack on Thursday, Oct. 26, starting a 6:30 p.m. PT, before facing the Spartans on Saturday, Oct. 28, beginning at 2 p.m. PT. > Both contests will include live stats, while the SDSU-SJSU clash will feature streaming video via the Mountain West Network on GoAztecs.com.
> The Aztecs are coming off a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind win against Boise State (20-25, 24-26, 25-20, 25-19, 15-10) and a 3-1 conquest of Utah State (25-21, 25-23, 21-25, 25-14) last week.
> With the results, SDSU finds itself tied with the Broncos for fourth place in the Mountain West with a 5-5 conference record.
> In addition, the Aztecs have strung together their fourth two-match winning streak of the year. SDSU is 6-5 in matches following a loss and 4-7 in matches following a win.
> The Aztecs are 11-0 this year when maintaining a higher hitting percentage and 6-0 when outblocking its opponent.
SERIES RECORD VS. NEVADA
> San Diego State has won five straight against the Wolf Pack to grab an 8-3 lead in the all-time series. > The Aztecs are 1-3 against Nevada in Reno, but are 7-0 in San Diego.
> SDSU swept the Wolf Pack at home (25-19, 25-20, 25-16) in the last meeting between the two squads on Sept. 30.
> In that contest, Alexis Cage posted a match-high 12 kills and hit .375, while Deja Harris and Hannah Turnlund launched nine put-aways each to fuel the Aztec attack. Harris, who hit .471 on the day, also led all players with five block assists.
> As a team, SDSU maintained the statistical advantage in most categories, including kills (45-29), digs (34-29) and total blocks (9.5-3.0), capitalizing on 20 attack errors and 7 wayward serves by Nevada.
> The Aztecs came through with their first victory in Reno last year, logging a five set triumph (25-22, 22-25, 25-18, 13-25, 15-9), in the regular-season finale.
> In that matchup, Harris tied her career high with 19 kills, including five in the decisive fifth set, while Turnlund blasted 11 non-returnables of her own. In addition, Devyn Pritchard led all players with 13 digs.
SERIES RECORD VS. SAN JOSÉ STATE
> Despite dropping a five-set heartbreaker to the Spartans at home earlier this season, SDSU still maintains a 20-10 lead in the all-time series.
> The Aztecs are 6-7 vs. SJSU in San Jose overall and are 2-2 in Silicon Valley since the Spartans joined the Mountain West in 2013.
> In last month's setback to San José State, SDSU led 12-8 in the fifth set, only to see the Spartans close with a 9-3 run to steal the victory (25-18, 23-25, 29-27, 16-25, 15-17) on Sept. 28.
> Individually, the Aztecs were paced by Ashlynn Dunbar, who established a career high with 16 kills, while Harris and Turnlund recorded 15 put-aways apiece.
> The SDSU cause was also advanced by Baylee Little, who hit .438 (9-2-16) for the evening and totaled six blocks, including one solo stuff, while Cage displayed her versatility with seven kills, 12 digs and three blocks.
> Collectively, the two sides were evenly matched, with each side posting 13.0 team blocks, while the Aztecs held the slight edge in kills (66-61) and digs (58-56). However, SDSU unable to finish off the Spartans after taking a 2-1 lead in sets.
> The Aztecs also came up empty in their last visit to San Jose, falling in four sets (18-25, 21-25, 25-23, 21-25).
> Turnlund is SDSU's top returner from that match, posting 10 kills, while Cage finished with nine kills and 11 digs.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Nevada (6-16, 4-6 MW) ended a four-match losing streak with a 3-1 triumph over Air Force last Saturday (25-15, 26-24, 23-25, 25-19). Madison Foley led the Wolf Pack with 18 kills against Falcons, while Ayla Fresenius finished with 11 put-aways of her own. During its aforementioned slide, Nevada was blanked three times and hit just .133 before posting a .300 attack percentage against Air Force. Offensively, the Wolf Pack have been paced by sophomore Shayla Hoeft, who enters the week among the league leaders in kills (9th, 3.30/set) and hitting percentage (10th, .292). Against Air Force, Hoeft returned to the lineup for the first time since Sept. 19, recording eight kills and four block assists. In addition, Nevada has received a boost from sophomore setter Dalyn Burns, who ranks ninth in the conference with 8.51 assists per set, while fellow classmate and defensive specialist Camille Davey occupies the 10th spot with 3.59 digs per frame. Collectively, the Wolf Pack are fourth in the MW this week with 14.19 digs and 1.37 service aces per set. However, Nevada is last in the conference with a .157 hitting percentage and ranks eighth with 12.23 kills per frame. Overall, the Wolf Pack are allowing a league-worst .219 attack percentage by opponents, compared to a .192 clip in MW matches, which ranks fifth. Nevada is coached by Lee Nelson, who is in his third season on the Reno campus after spending three years as an assistant at Miami (Fla.) from 2012-14. Prior to his stint with the Hurricanes, Nelson was the associate head coach of the men's program at UC Santa Barbara. His career record stands at 37-45.
> San José State (14-7, 6-4 MW) occupies the third spot in the conference standings after beating Nevada (3-0) and Air Force (3-1) in its last two outings. Against the Falcons, sophomore Fernanda Vida posted a match-high 20 kills, while senior Nandyala Gama (.562) finished with 14 put-aways of her own and addd seven blocks (1-6) to help the Spartans attain their highest victory total since 2012. Offensively, SJSU boasts three players among the MW leaders in kills, including junior Giulia Gavio (4th, 3.68/set), Vido (5th, 3.45/set) and Gama (6th, 3.36/set), who also ranks fourth with a .315 hitting percentage. In addition, junior Luiza Andrade tops the league in service aces (0.39/set) and ranks eighth in digs (3.90/set), while senior Breann Robinson is third in assists (10.05 assists/set). Earlier, Andrade collected MW Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 2, while Gavio was named the league's first Offensive Player of the Week this season on Aug. 28. Overall, the Spartans are second in the MW in service aces (1.48/set) and rank among the top half of the conference in attack percentage (3rd, .224), assists (3rd, 12.42/set), and kills (4th, 13.34/set). However, SJSU is just seventh in digs (12.99/set) and last in blocks (1.95/set). Over the last eight matches, the Spartans have tumbled from the top spot into the sixth position with a .198 opponent a percentage. Adversaries have hit .258 against SJSU during that span. The Spartans are guided by head coach Jolene Shepardson, who is in her fourth season in the Silicon Valley capital after spending three years as head coach at CSU Bakersfield. Her career record stands at 86-115.
AZTECS AMONG MOUNTAIN WEST LEADERS
> Entering the weekend, Deja Harris, Devyn Pritchard and Gabi Peoples are among the MW leaders in various categories.
> In overall matches, Harris ranks third in the league with a .335 hitting percentage and 1.30 blocks per set.
> Pritchard also occupies third position this week with 4.55 digs per frame.
> Meanwhile, Peoples moved into the seventh slot with 9.04 assists per set.
> As a team, SDSU ranks among the top half of the conference in kills (3rd, 13.45/set), assists (4th, 12.22/set) and digs (5th, 13.46/set).
> In Mountain West matches, Pritchard maintains the top spot in digs (5.36/set), while Peoples (11.00 assists/set) and Harris (1.45 blocks/set) rank second in their respective categories.
> In addition, Baylee Little (.295 hitting pct.) and Sam McGrath (0.32 aces/set) landed in the ninth spot this week in their corresponding statistics.
> Collectively against conference foes, the Aztecs top the league in digs (14.57/set) while ranking second in kills (13.70/set), third in opponent hitting percentage (.191), fourth in assists (12.27/set) and fourth in blocks (2.49/set).
SPREADING THE WEALTH
> Over the last seven matches, San Diego State has received balanced offensive production, with the quartet of Alexis Cage (99), Deja Harris (81), Ashlynn Dunbar (79) and Hannah Turnlund (78) combining for 337 of the team's 404 kills (83.4 percent).
> During that stretch, Cage, Harris and Turnlund have logged double-digit kill totals on six occasions, while Dunbar has accomplished the feat five times.
> Cage has been particularly effective, averaging 3.54 kills and hitting .275 in 28 sets played, compared to the previous 16 matches when she averaged 2.03 kps and posted a .214 attack percentage.
> Against Boise State, Cage posted her fifth double-double of the year with 16 kills and 13 digs.
WEEKLY WRAP
> After sweeping Boise State (3-2) and Utah State (3-1) at home, San Diego State (11-12, 5-5 MW) climbed into a tie for fourth place in the Mountain West standings.
> Against the Broncos, the Aztecs won for the first time this season after facing an 0-2 deficit in sets, snapping a six-match losing streak to the defending conference champions with a five-set triumph (20-25, 24-26, 25-20, 25-19, 15-10).
> Collectively, the Aztecs maintained the upper hand in kills (73-64), digs (83-68) and team blocks (8.0-7.0) while outhitting Boise State for the match .273 to .234.
> SDSU's 73 kills and 83 digs were both season highs for the team.
> The two sides combined for 36 ties and 11 lead changes in the first two sets, with both teams knocking down 32 kills each during that span. However, the Broncos benefited from 14 Aztecs attack errors while committing just six miscues of their own.
> After recording a .222 clip over the first two sets, SDSU found its rhythm, hitting .313 over the final three frames, including a .562 pace during the fifth set, to gradually seize the momentum.
> For the first time this year, the Aztecs had five players post double-digit kill totals, including Deja Harris, who totaled a season-high 18 put-aways and hit .548 to go with a match-high five blocks assists.
> In addition, Alexis Cage (16 kills, 13 digs) and Ashlynn Dunbar (13 kills, 13 digs) each recorded a double-double, while Baylee Little got into the act as well with a season-best 13 non-returnables, followed by Hannah Turnlund, who finished with 11 on the night.
> SDSU's fortunes were also bolstered by Gabi Peoples, who dished out a career-high 62 assists, while Devyn Pritchard continued her stellar play along the back row with a personal-best 33 digs.
> Two days later, San Diego State evened its conference record with a four-set conquest of Utah State (25-21, 25-23, 21-25, 25-14), avenging a road loss to the Aggies in the conference opener on Sept. 21. > Offensively, the Aztecs received double-digit kill totals from three players, including Dunbar, who took home match-high honors with 15 put-aways, while Cage blasted 13 non-returnables of her own. Turnlund also chipped in 12 kills, while Gabi Peoples handed out 52 assists.
> At the net, Harris (10 kills) led all players with eight block assists, while Dunbar combined for six stops to tie a personal best, along with Little, who finished with nine kills as well.
> Overall, SDSU maintained a 61-40 advantage in kills and a 14.0-10.5 spread in team blocks to win for the fifth time in its last seven outings.
AZTECS SWEEP MW WEEKLY AWARDS
> San Diego State collected two Mountain West awards on Oct. 23 as Gabi Peoples was named Offensive Player of the Week, while Devyn Pritchard was selected Defensive Player of the Week. The two accolades were the first career honors for the Aztec teammates.
> In two matches, Peoples dished out 12.67 assists per set (114 total) averaging 4.10 helpers more than her season clip of 8.57 per frame entering the week, as the Scarlet and Black completed a 2-0 homestand with victories over Boise State and Utah State.
> Against the Broncos, the freshman setter handed out a career-high 62 assists, which marks the highest total in the MW so far this year.
> With Peoples' crisp passing, SDSU had five players surpass the double-digit plateau in kills vs. Boise State.
> In the Aztecs' triumph over Utah State, Peoples contributed 52 assists, as three teammates reached double figures in kills.
> Pritchard, meanwhile, posted 44 digs last week for an average of 4.89 per set and finished with a clean slate of zero reception errors.
> Against Boise State, the senior libero recorded a career-high 33 digs, which marked the highest total in a MW match this year and tied for the second-most overall.
> With her effort, Pritchard anchored a defense that limited the Broncos to 12.8 kills per set during the contest, which was 1.3 less than its league-leading season average of 14.1 entering the match.
> Two days later against Utah State, she registered a team-high 11 digs, contributing to a defense that held the Aggies to a .186 hitting percentage, .025 points below their season average of .211 entering the contest.
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