SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team puts the finishing touches on its season-long six-match homestand this weekend when it welcomes Nevada for a pair of Mountain West clashes, Feb. 26-27, inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.
Friday's encounter is scheduled to get underway at 6 p.m. PT and will be streamed live via the Aztec volleyball team's YouTube channel, with a link available on GoAztecs.com. Meanwhile Saturday's showdown is slated for a noon start and will be streamed live via the Mountain West Network.
QUICK HITS
> The Aztecs (3-3, 3-3 MW) have won three straight after collecting a pair of victories at home over New Mexico on Feb. 19-20.
> In the opener vs. the Lobos, SDSU notched its second straight sweep, 25-13, 25-17, 25-21, before recording a four-set triumph in the finale, 25-20, 25-20, 23-25, 25-19.
> Against UNM, the Aztecs were led by junior outside hitter Victoria O'Sullivan, who averaged 4.71 kills in seven sets, hitting .313 with a team-high 33 kills on 67 attempts with just 12 errors.
> Meanwhile, Nevada (1-5, 1-5 MW), which is coming off a split in its last series vs. Air Force, will be hitting the road for the first time this season when it battles the Scarlet and Black this weekend.
SERIES RECORD VS. NEVADA
> San Diego State is 11-4 against Nevada in 15 previous encounters dating back to 2011.
> The Aztecs had their eight-match winning streak vs. the Wolf Pack snapped last season after dropping a four-set decision (25-22, 25-19, 20-25, 25-17) in Reno on Sept. 28, 2019.
> Despite maintaining a slim edge in total blocks (12.0-11.0) and a slight margin in digs (44-40), SDSU was outhit in that contest .271 to .186, committing nine more attack errors than Nevada (27-18), while finishing with almost as many kills (53-51).
> Among 2021 Aztec returners, Victoria O'Sullivan finished with 14 kills in that match; Erin Gillcrist recorded six put-aways and six block assists, while Maddie Lenn scooped up eight digs on the day.
> The third set marked the only time SDSU held an advantage in attack percentage for the contest (.281 to .167), as the Scarlet and Black used a 16-7 surge to erase a 13-9 deficit and stay alive, with O'Sullivan sparking the run with four kills.
> However, the Aztecs' comeback hopes were dashed in the fourth set after Nevada utilized a timely 11-5 outburst to break a 7-7 deadlock.
> San Diego State is 8-0 all-time vs. the Wolf Pack in "America's Finest City", including a 3-1 triumph on Nov. 15, 2018, which marked the last time the two teams met on Aztec Court.
> O'Sullivan and Gillcrist stood out in that match as well, collecting 10 kills apiece.
NEVADA AT A GLANCE
> Picked seventh in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll, Nevada (1-5, 1-5 MW) has stumbled out of the gate this season, opening with four straight losses before splitting two encounters vs. Air Force, Feb. 19-20, to close out a six-match homestand. The Wolf Pack captured the opening match in four sets (25-20, 25-19, 19-25, 25-23) for their victory of the season last Friday. Briana Souza led Nevada with 14 kills in that contest, committing just one error on 22 attempts for a .591 hitting percentage. In addition, Sydney Peterson was a force at the net with nine blocks, while setter Andrea Alcaraz handed out 34 assists and served up four aces, along with Reka Monteleone. Entering the weekend, Alcaraz ranks fourth in the Mountain West with 9.26 assists per set (176 overall), while Kaila Spevak occupies the sixth spot with 3.79 digs per set (72 overall). In addition Monteleone finds herself among the conference leaders in both service aces (9th - 0.42/set) and kills (10th - 3.21/set, 61 overall). Offensively, the Wolf Pack rank seventh in the MW with 11.43 kills per set as a team and are next-to-last in the league with a .168 hitting percentage. At the net, Nevada is sixth in the conference with 2.22 blocks per set. However, opponents are hitting at .244 clip against the Wolf Pack and are knocking down an average of 13.13 kills per set, both of which rank 10th in the MW. Nevada is coached by Lee Nelson, who is in his sixth 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 is 67-86.
WEEKEND WRAP
> San Diego State extended its winning streak to three matches after posting a pair of victories over New Mexico on Feb. 19-20 at Aztec Court. The two contests were originally slated as a home series for the Lobos when the Mountain West released its 2021 spring schedule. However, the conference officially announced the switch in venues on Feb. 17.
> SDSU recorded its second straight sweep in the series opener, dispatching the visitors by scores of 25-13, 25-17, 25-21 before claiming a four-set decision in the finale, 25-20, 25-20, 23-25, 25-19.
> With the two victories, the Aztecs also remain unbeaten vs. New Mexico in the last eight encounters between the two programs.
> In the opener, Victoria O'Sullivan blasted a match-high 13 kills and hit .346 on the evening, while Nya Blair added a career-high 10 put-aways of her own.
> The SDSU attack also included seven kills apiece from Erin Gillcrist and Heipua Tautua'a, while Ashley Vanderpan dished out 38 assists and posted seven digs.
> In addition, Brooklynn Hill served up a personal-best three aces, while Lauren Lee scooped up a team-high 11 scoops in the victory.
> Despite trailing in team blocks (7.0-6.0), the Aztecs held a sizable advantage in most statistical categories, including kills (45-27), digs (39-25) and service aces (6-1) while outhitting UNM .283 to .136.
> The third frame was the most competitive, with the two sides witnessing 10 ties and three lead changes. O'Sullivan and Blair took center stage, totaling six kills each in the set, while Andrea Walker added three.
> In the finale, Victoria O'Sullivan launched a season-high 20 kills and added two solo blocks, while Nya Blair finished with 10 put-aways for the second straight outing.
> SDSU's fortunes were also buoyed by Andrea Walker, who hit .417 for the match on seven kills with two errors in 12 attempts, while Erin Gillcrist floored seven shots of her own.
> In addition, the Aztecs received career-high performances from Heipua Tautua'a (22 digs) and Ashley Vanderpan (40 assists), while Lauren Lee posted a season-high 16 digs, marking the fifth straight contest of recording double digits in that category.
> Despite trailing in team blocks (13.0-5.0) and committing 31 attack errors overall, San Diego State proved that quantity trumped quality on this day, maintaining a sizable 57-43 advantage in kills and a 64-36 edge in digs.
AZTECS AMONG MW LEADERS
> Following her performances last week, Victoria O'Sullivan has moved into third among Mountain West statistical leaders with an average of 3.76 kills per set (79 overall) and ranks fifth with 4.12 points/set (86.5 overall (K-SA-BS-BA/2)).
> In addition, Ashley Vanderpan makes her debut on the charts this week at No. 7 in assists (7.37/set), while Lauren Lee occupies the 10th spot in digs (3.62/set).> O'Sullivan is the lone SDSU player to record double-digit kills in all six matches this season and has logged 10 or more put-aways in 27 of her last 35 starts dating back to the 2019 fall campaign.
> Meanwhile, Vanderpan raised her season average by over two assists after handing out 78 helpers combined (11.14/set) in two victories over New Mexico last weekend. With her setting, SDSU averaged 14.16 kills in seven sets vs. the Lobos, over 2.5 kills more than its average of 11.64 in the previous four matches.
> Elsewhere, Lee has posted double-digit digs in five straight matches, including a season-high 16 in the series finale vs. New Mexico on Feb. 20.
> Collectively, the Aztecs rank third in the MW this week with an average of 12.14 kills per set for the season and have climbed to the fourth position with 14.48 digs per frame. Conversely, SDSU opponents have posted a league-low 12.10 digs per set on Aztec attacks and have managed just 11.14 kills per set against the Scarlet and Black, which ranks next-to-last in the conference.
NOTHIN' LIKE HOME COOKIN'
> Since the beginning of the 2009 campaign, the Aztecs have amassed a 107-52 (.673) record at home, highlighted by a 14-0 mark during the 2012 season when SDSU captured the Mountain West championship.
NOTABLE
> Setter Ashley Vanderpan recorded her first career double-double after totaling 30 assists and 11 digs in the Aztecs' 3-0 sweep over Fresno State on Feb. 13.
> During SDSU's three-match winning streak, Vanderpan has averaged 10.80 assists and 2.2 digs in 10 sets.
> The 22 digs posted by Heipua Tautua'a vs. New Mexico on Feb. 20 marked the highest total for an Aztec since Loren Teter scooped up 24 in a narrow five-set loss at Florida Gulf Coast on Aug. 31, 2019.
> Over the past three matches, Tautua'a has averaged a team-high 4.14 digs per set, followed closely by Lauren Lee (3.86), who has notched double-digit scoops in five straight outings.
> SDSU is one of five Mountain West teams not to have played a five-set match this season, joining Boise State, Colorado State, Nevada, New Mexico and UNLV.
> Through six matches in 2019, the Aztecs completed three five-set matches, falling at Florida Gulf Coast before edging West Virginia and Arkansas at home.
ON THE HORIZON
> Following this weekend's matches, San Diego State will hit the road for the second time this season when it travels to elevation to battle Wyoming on consecutive days, March 5-6. Both contest will be streamed live via the Mountain West Network with a link available on GoAztecs.com.