SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team opens a four-match homestand starting this week when it plays host to Wyoming and 13th-ranked Colorado State inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym. The Aztecs will battle the Cowgirls on Thursday, Nov. 7, beginning at 6 p.m. PT, before locking horns with the Rams on Saturday, Nov. 9, starting at 2 p.m. PT.
The first 300 fans in attendance for Saturday's SDSU-CSU showdown will receive a free Aztec Volleyball T-shirt. In addition, free admission will be available for those patrons presenting a ticket from the SDSU football or women's basketball games scheduled for that same day.
Both matches will feature live stats, while a link to streaming video will be available for the Aztecs-Cowgirls clash on GoAztecs.com via the Mountain West Network.
QUICK HITS
> The Aztecs (12-11, 5-7 MW) recorded their first two victories in true road matches this season after defeating New Mexico and UNLV in four sets last weekend.
> With the results, SDSU climbed into a tie for sixth place in the Mountain West standings with a 5-7 conference mark, joining Fresno State and Air Force.
> In addition, the Aztecs have posted an 21-18 overall record since Sept. 29, 2018, after starting last season with a 1-14 ledger.
> SDSU is 11-2 this year when blasting more kills than the opposition and are 11-4 when recording a greater hitting percentage. The Scarlet and Black is also 7-0 this season when capturing the first two sets.
> Senior middle blocker Tamia Reeves ranks second in the Mountain West with a .403 hitting percentage, which is good for 19th in the nation.
SERIES RECORD VS. WYOMING
> Despite a three-set loss in Laramie on Oct. 10, the Aztecs still lead the all-time series against the Cowgirls 36-20.
> In that previous encounter, Erin Gillcrist led SDSU with nine kills and hit .368, while Andrea Walker (.636) and Hannah Turnlund totaled seven put-aways each.
> The Aztecs emerged victorious in Wyoming's last visit to "America's Finest City" on Sept. 29, 2018, when the Scarlet and Black prevailed in five sets to ignite a five-match winning streak.
> Gillcrist is SDSU's top returning performer from that contest, launching 15 kills, while Hannah Turnlund completed a double-double with 12 non-returnables and 11 digs. In addition, Sam McGrath (16 digs) and Lauren Lee (10 digs) provided plenty of defensive support.
SERIES RECORD VS. COLORADO STATE
> The Rams swept SDSU in Fort Collins on Oct. 12 to extend their winning streak to 10 straight in the series and raise their record to 44-16 against the Aztecs all-time.
> In that match, San Diego State received nine kills from Hannah Turnlund, while Andrea Walker finished with seven put-aways and hit .556 for the match.
> Despite posting more digs (39-37) and team blocks (4.0-3.0), the Aztecs trailed in kills (46-30) were out-hit (.406 to .132).
> SDSU posted its last victory against the Rams in 2013, upsetting the No. 9 CSU squad on the road, which marked the last time the Scarlet and Black knocked off a ranked opponent.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Wyoming (15-8, 10-2 MW) has lost just two matches in conference play so far this year, falling to Colorado State on both occasions. The Cowgirls have recorded sweeps in their last three victories, defeating Nevada, San Jose State and Air Force at home. In its last outing, Wyoming limited the Falcons to a paltry .009 hitting percentage (30-29-117) while totaling 15.0 team blocks. Individually, the Cowgirls are led by the quartet of sophomore KC McMahon (2.91), junior Jackie McBride (2.56), senior Tara Traphagan (2.40) and fellow classmate Halie McArdle (2.03), who are averaging over two kills per set. McBride, a middle blocker, ranks fourth in the league with a .363 hitting percentage and occupies the fifth spot with 1.23 blocks per set (92 overall). In addition, Wyoming has received a boost from senior libero Madi Fields, who prepped at Mission Vista High School in nearby Oceanside, California, and ranks second in the MW with an average of 4.36 digs per frame. The Cowgirls' setter duties have been shared by junior Mackenzie Coates, who is sixth in the league in assists (9.26/set), along with freshman Kyra Slavik (7.19). Collectively, Wyoming enters the weekend among the conference leaders in hitting percentage (3rd, .230), blocks (3rd, 2.46/set), opponent hitting percentage (3rd, .185) and digs (5th, 14.18/set). However, the Cowgirls are just eighth in kills (12.50/set) and rank seventh in opponent kills (12.74/set). Wyoming is coached by Chad Callihan, who is in his seventh season on the Laramie campus after spending five years as head coach at Georgia Southern. He has also served as head coach at Appalachian State and Radford. Callihan's career record stands at 364-209, including a 137-74 mark at Wyoming.
> Colorado State (22-1, 12-0 MW) climbed to No. 13 in the latest AVCA Division I Coaches Poll after beating Wyoming and Air Force at home last week. The Rams have won 21 straight, including 14 by 3-0 sweeps after dropping a four-set decision to California in their own home tournament on Aug. 31. Prior its clash with the Aztecs, CSU will travel to Fresno State on Thursday. Individually, the Rams are led by junior Breanna Runnels, a two-time all-MW selection who occupies the second spot in the conference with 3.65 kills per set, while senior Kirstie Hillyer (.412) and fellow classmate Paulina Hougaard-Jensen (.355) are first and fifth, respectively, in hitting percentage. Additionally, Hougaard-Jensen (3rd, 1.37/set) and Hillyer (4th, 1.29/set) find themselves among the league leaders in blocks, while senior setter Katie Oleksak, the two-time reigning MW Player of the Year, tops the conference with 10.87 assists per frame. Not to be outdone, junior libero Alexa Roumeliotis ranks fifth in the MW this week with 3.96 digs per set, while freshman Alyssa Bert has served up a team-high 31 aces. Collectively, CSU leads the conference in hitting percentage (.285), kills (13.59/set) and assists (12.71/set). The Rams also rank second in the MW with 2.97 blocks per set and top the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.103), as well as opponent kills (9.56/set) and opponent blocks (1.88). Colorado State is coached by Tom Hilbert, who has guided the Rams to the NCAA tournament in all 23 seasons on the Fort Collins campus. Previously, Hilbert was the head coach at Idaho from 1989-96. His career record is 757-207, including a 582-135 mark at CSU.
TURNLUND'S TURN
> With her 11 put-aways at Air Force on Oct. 19, senior Hannah Turnlund broke the 1,000-kill plateau for her career and has launched 1,069 non-returnables in an Aztec uniform.
> In addition, Turnlund has accumulated 2,983 attacks for her career, vaulting into 10th place on the school's all-time list in that statistic. Last weekend, she combined for 88 attempts to move past Angelica Jackson, who compiled 2,955 attacks from 1984-87.
> Turnlund has posted double-digit kill totals in 16 of 23 matches this season and 57 times in her career.
> Against Florida Gulf Coast on Aug. 31, Turnlund completed a double-double with a personal-best 24 kills to go with a season-high 16 digs, as the Aztecs dropped a narrow five-set decision.
> With that performance, the Morgan Hill, California, native secured a spot on the all-tournament team at the Homewood Suites FGCU Fort Myers Classic.
> Not to be outdone, Turnlund has racked up 10 double-doubles over the last two seasons after logging none in her first two years on The Mesa. Among her standout matches was a 23-kill, 21-dig effort vs. Nevada in the next-to-last outing of the 2018 campaign.
AZTECS AMONG MOUNTAIN WEST LEADERS
> Entering the eighth weekend of conference play, San Diego State boasts seven players among the Mountain West leaders in various categories.
> Tamia Reeves ranks second with a .403 hitting percentage, while Lexie Hamrick (.303) occupies the ninth spot despite missing the last six matches, followed closely by Andrea Walker (.300).
> In addition, Camryn Machado is holding down the No. 3 position with an average of 10.40 assists per set, while Hannah Turnlund remains in the fourth position with an average of 3.54 kills per frame.
> Elsewhere, Victoria O'Sullivan (3.17/set) climbed two places into sixth with 3.17 kills per set, while Loren Teter moved up two spots into seventh in digs (3.67/set).
> As a team, SDSU ranks among the top half of the conference for all matches in hitting percentage (2nd, .237), assists (3rd, 12.24/set) and kills (4th, 12.92/set).
ON THE HORIZON
> Following Saturday's clash, San Diego State will close out its home schedule next week when it welcomes Fresno State to The Mesa on Tuesday, Nov. 12, before entertaining Air Force on Thursday, Nov. 14 as part of Senior Night festivities.
Volleyball Returns Home to Face Wyoming, No. 13 CSU
