SAN DIEGO – San Diego State opens its 2019 volleyball season this weekend when it competes in the four-team FGCU Homewood Suites Fort Myers Classic at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida. The Aztecs will open the tournament with two matches on Friday, Aug. 30, squaring off against Akron 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT before locking horns with Bryant University at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. SDSU will then wrap up the weekend on Saturday, Aug. 31 when it battles host Florida Gulf Coast University, starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. ET. All three matches will feature live stats and streaming video, with links available on GoAztecs.com.
SERIES RECORDS
San Diego State will be facing three first-time opponents when it ventures to the Sunshine State. The Aztecs sport an 11-2 record vs. nine teams in the Mid-American Conference, having yet to play Akron, Eastern Michigan and Toledo. SDSU last engaged a MAC school in 2014, when it dropped a four-set decision to Ohio in the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In addition, the Aztecs are 2-1 all-time against current members of the Northeast Conference, which includes Bryant as one of its constituents. SDSU last played an NEC squad in 2012, when it posted a 3-0 shutout over Sacred Heart in the opener of the Aztec Challenge at home. The Scarlet and Black also defeated Central Connecticut State at the Buffalo (N.Y.) Tournament in 1999 before dropping a tough five-setter vs. Long Island in the finale of the 2007 Aztec Invitational.
SDSU has limited experience vs. the Atlantic Sun Conference, where Florida Gulf Coast resides. The Aztecs are 3-1 vs. the ASUN, including 3-0 setback against Lipscomb at the 2018 Cactus Classic in Tucson, Arizona. San Diego State also defeated the same Bisons program in the semifinals of the Fullerton Invitational in 2006 and sport a 2-0 ledger vs. Liberty (2001, 2005).
FOR OPENERS
San Diego State's record in season openers stands at 22-21 since the program's inception in 1976. This weekend will mark the Aztecs' first season-opening road tournament since 2015 when it competed in the University of San Francisco Invitational. SDSU is 5-9 all-time when it begins a campaign away from home.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Akron returns 12 players from a squad that finished with an 11-16 overall record and a 3-13 mark in conference play last season, as the Zips finished sixth in the MAC East Division. One of two seniors on the roster, middle blocker Ashley Richardson is one of Akron top veterans, ranking fourth in the league last year with a .323 hitting percentage while averaging 2.55 kills (255 overall) and 0.69 blocks (71 overall) per set. In addition, junior setter Emily Weigand is back in the mix after averaging 7.88 assists per set (812 overall) to with 47 service aces, which ranked fourth in the MAC, while defensive specialist Taylor Sharrits finished ninth in the league with 4.42 digs per set (455 overall).
Bryant won captured its first NEC title in 2018, posting a 22-13 record overall and a 10-4 mark in conference action before falling to Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Sophomore outside hitter Caroline Kennedy set a Division I program record with 409 kills in 2018 (2.96/set) to earn second-team all-NEC honors. Fellow classmate Haley O'Brien also made an impact last season, averaging 1.72 kills per set (193 overall) to go with 74 total blocks, which ranked second on the squad.
Florida Gulf Coast captured its first-ever ASUN tournament championship last year, finishing with a 27-7 overall record, including a 15-1 mark in the conference. The Eagles upset No. 13 national seed Central Florida 3-2 on the road in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before suffering a 3-0 setback to Florida in the second round. FGCU returns reigning ASUN Player of the Year Cortney VanLiew, who ranked second in the league with 4.02 kills per set (482 overall) to go with 312 digs, earning AVCA All-America honorable mention in the process. Additio,nally, sophomore libero Dana Axner broke the Eagles single-season record with 624 digs (5.20/set) in 2018, becoming the first player in ASUN history to collect both Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards.
AZTEC VETERANS
With the graduation of four-time all-Mountain West honoree Deja Harris, senior outside hitter Hannah Turnlund is the lone San Diego State veteran to have started all 31 matches during the 2018 campaign. The Morgan Hill, California, native finished second on the squad last year with 2.78 kills per set (339 overall), launching double-digit put-aways in 19 matches. In the penultimate contest of the regular season vs. Nevada, Turnlund became the second Aztec player in the Mountain West era to post a 20-20 performance with a career-high 23 kills and 23 digs, fueling a 3-1 win for the Scarlet and Black.
In addition, the Aztecs welcome back senior Tamia Reeves and junior Erin Gillcrist, who ranked second and third on the squad last year with 72 and 57 total blocks in the middle, respectively. Reeves owns SDSU's top returning hitting percentage from last year after posting a .273 clip, while Gillcrist (197) and sophomore outside hitter Victoria O'Sullivan (109) each surpassed the 100-kill plateau.
Redshirt juniors Loren Teter (2.65 digs/set) and Sam McGrath (2.43 digs/set) provided much of the support in the back row during the 2018 campaign. Teter ranked eighth in Mountain West play last year with 3.23 digs per set, logging double-digit scoops in 14 matches, including five straight to end the season. In a five-set victory at Utah State, the Redondo Beach, California, product came through with a career-high 22 digs, matching McGrath's personal-best total accomplished on two occasions during the season vs. Idaho and at Air Force.
Junior setter Camryn Machado will look for increased playing time this season after appearing in only eight matches last year due to injury. A local product from La Costa Canyon High School, Machado originally signed with Utah following her prep career, where she averaged 3.05 assists per set off the bench as a freshman in 2017, as the Utes advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
San Diego State landed a pair of transfers during spring practice last year in setter Ashley Vanderpan and middle blocker Abby Pugh, who join true freshmen Nya Blair, Alexis Durand, Elise Park and Gabriella Spaething.
A native of Elk Grove, California, Vanderpan sat out the 2018 campaign as a redshirt at Syracuse and will retain freshman status this fall. She twice captured her squad's Most Valuable Player award at Elk Grove High School, garnering first-team all-conference honors on two occasions.
Pugh, meanwhile, will have junior eligibility this fall after spending two years at Wichita State. A native of Brenham, Texas, Pugh averaged 1.46 kills and hit .289 in over 120 career sets for the Shockers. In 2018, she started 22 of 30 matches, averaging 1.53 kills per set (150 overall) while hitting at a .282 clip and totaling 58 blocks.
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
San Diego State was picked to finish eighth in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll released Aug. 14.
In the 20-year history of the Mountain West, SDSU has finished first (2012), second (2002, 2011), fourth (2000, 2001, 2003, 2013, 2017), fifth (2005, 2015), sixth (1999, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016), seventh (2008) and eighth (2007, 2018) in the final league standings.
STAFF ADDITION
Isabel Miller has joined the Aztec staff as a volunteer assistant coach. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Miller played at Boise State (2013-14) and San Diego Mesa College (2015-16) before completing her collegiate career at Arizona State in 2017. She graduated from Arcadia High School in Phoenix, where she was a three-time all-state selection in volleyball. As a prep, Miller also garnered first-team all-conference honors all four years and was named league MVP during her sophomore season.
UP NEXT
San Diego State returns to the friendly confines of Aztec Court next weekend to co-host the SDSU/USD Invitational. The Aztecs open the tournament with a clash against West Virginia on Friday, Sept. 6, starting at 6 p.m. PT, before tackling Arkansas (11 a.m.) and Arizona (7 p.m.) on Saturday, Sept. 7. The SDSU-WVU match will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.