SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State opens its 2021 volleyball season in earnest this weekend when it competes in the three-team Bearkat Invitational at Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas. The Aztecs begin tournament play on Friday, Aug. 27, when they battle Houston Baptist, starting at 2:30 p.m. CT/12:30 p.m. PT, before squaring off against host Sam Houston at 6:30 p.m. CT/4:30 p.m. PT.
On Saturday, Aug. 28, the Aztecs will wrap up the event with a single match vs. Houston Baptist, starting at 12:30 p.m. CT/10:30 a.m. PT. Central Arkansas was scheduled to be the fourth team in the Bearkat Invitational but dropped out due to COVID-19 contact tracing.
Live stats and streaming video will be available throughout the weekend, with a links available on GoAztecs.com.
SERIES RECORDS
> San Diego State has played Sam Houston just once in program history, claiming a 3-1 victory in the first round of the NCAA Mountain Regional on Dec. 4, 1996, at Peterson Gym. In a match that was contested prior to the rally scoring era, the Aztecs defeated the Bearkats by set scores of 15-4, 15-2, 13-5, 15-9. SDSU's tournament run that season was short-lived, however, as the Scarlet and Black was swept by No. 10 Texas on the road three days later, 15-17, 13-15, 5-15.
> SDSU is 9-1 against the current alignment of the Western Athletic Conference, which added four schools for the 2021 volleyball season, including Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Lamar and Abilene Christian. The Aztecs last faced a WAC team in 2019 when they fell to Grand Canyon at the GCU Invitational in Phoenix, Arizona. Conversely, SDSU defeated Seattle University in a five-set thriller at the 2018 Aztec Invitational to remain unbeaten in the series at 4-0. San Diego State is also 2-0 vs. Lamar while maintaining a 1-0 advantage over New Mexico State, Sam Houston and UT Rio Grande Valley.
> Friday's clash with Houston Baptist will mark the Aztecs' first meeting against the Huskies.
> San Diego State has battled just two current members of the Southland Conference in program history, defeating Texas A&M Corpus Christi in a five-set nail-biter on the road in 2007 at the Islanders' home tournament before duplicating the feat in 2017 with a 3-0 sweep at the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, Michigan. In addition, the Aztecs were triumphant in four sets over Nicholls at the 2003 Wichita State Tournament in Kansas.
FOR OPENERS
> San Diego State's record stands at 23-22 in season openers since the program's inception in 1976.
> The Bearkat Invitational represents the third straight season in which the Aztecs have opened their schedule on the road. In addition, this weekend's event marks SDSU's third season-opening tournament on road in the last seven years (2015 USF Invitational in San Francisco, Calif., 2019 FGCU Homewood Suites Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.).
> The Aztecs are 6-10 all-time when they begin a campaign on the road.
WELCOME BACK
> Outside hitter Victoria O'Sullivan leads the group of eight Aztec letterwinners who return for the 2021 fall campaign.
> O'Sullivan earned all-Mountain West honors for the first time in her career last spring after leading the Scarlet and Black with 3.25 kills per set, which ranked seventh in the league. Not to be outdone, the SDSU senior surpassed the double-digit kill plateau in 11 of 15 matches and ranked second on the squad with 32.0 total blocks.
> O'Sullivan led or tied for the team lead in kills 11 times, including six straight to start the year. She has recorded 10 or more kills in 32 of her last 43 appearances dating back to the start of the 2019 campaign.
> The Aztecs will also look for senior leadership from Andrea Walker after the SDSU middle blocker finished third on the team with an average of 2.09 kills per set and 24.0 total blocks. She helped the Aztecs snap a five-match losing streak last March with season highs of 11 kills and a .529 hitting percentage in a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Utah State.
> In addition, San Diego State is expecting continued improvement from sophomore Heipua Tautua'a, who ranked second on the squad with 99 kills and 140 digs (2.86/set) during her first season on The Mesa last spring. The Aztec outside hitter turned in a superlative performance in SDSU's 3-2 upset at Boise State on March 20, finishing with 14 kills, nine digs and a career-high six block assists while hitting at a .462 clip, which marked the Scarlet and Black's highest individual hitting percentage of the year (min. 12 kills).
> Tautua'a also posted her first collegiate double-double in the Aztecs' 3-2 thriller over Utah State with 11 kills and 11 digs on March 12, after recording a career-high 22 digs in the team's four-set triumph over New Mexico two weeks earlier on Feb. 20.
> Also back in the mix for the Scarlet and Black this fall are tandem setters Ashley Vanderpan and Kennedy Feuerborn, who combined for 601 kills last spring, which marked the first season of intercollegiate competition for both players.
> Vanderpan, who sat out the 2019 campaign after transferring from Syracuse, ranked ninth in the MW with a team-high 6.53 assists per set (334 overall) in nine starts as a sophomore last spring. The Elk Grove, California, native also topped the squad with 11 service aces and three double-doubles (assists-digs) while ranking fourth with 78 digs (1.53/set).
> Vanderpan surpassed the 30-assist plateau in her first four starts, as the Aztecs posted a 3-1 record during that stretch. In a home sweep over New Mexico last February, she combined for 78 assists, dishing out a career-high 40 helpers in the series finale.
> Feuerborn , meanwhile, earned six starting assignments in 13 appearances during her rookie campaign, averaging 4.0 helpers per set (164 overall). She also finished with 31 kills (0.76/set), 19 digs (0.46/set) and 14 blocks (0.34/set) for the year. Feuerborn racked up double-digit assists on six occasions, including a career-high 27 helpers at UNLV in just her second match on Feb. 5.
NEW KIDS IN TOWN
> San Diego State head coach Brent Hilliard continued to reshape the Aztec roster with the addition of 10 newcomers for the 2021 fall campaign.
> SDSU's early signing class last November consisted of four incoming freshmen in outside hitter Mikela Labno (Hilmar, Calif.), middle blocker Sara Mukaj (Modena, Italy), setter/opposite Kalani Ruri (Kawerau, New Zealand) and defensive specialist Carsyn Schuch (Phoenix, Ariz.)
> Over the spring and summer, the Aztecs signed six more players, including four Division I transfers in senior libero Natalie Smith (Michigan), senior outside hitter Zoi Faki (Pittsburgh), senior setter Noa Miller (Arizona State) and junior middle blocker Julia Haynie (Portland State).
> Also eager to put their stamp on the Scarlet and Black this fall are former prep standouts Jordyn Goldsmith (opposite/Valleyford, Wash.) and Reagan Merk (outside hitter/Huntington Beach, Calif.)
> Smith was a member of three consecutive NCAA Tournament teams at Michigan from 2017-19. In her last season of competition on the Ann Arbor campus in 2019, the Weatherford, Texas, native set career highs in digs (390), assists (102) and service aces (18). Smith also totaled double-digit digs in 21 matches that year, including 20 or more scoops on three occasions.
> Faki also brings a winning pedigree with her to "America's Finest City" after playing on three NCAA Tournament teams herself at Pittsburgh from 2016-21. Last spring, she contributed to Pitt's longest postseason run in program history, with the Panthers reaching the Elite Eight as the final unseeded team in the field. Faki served up a career-high three aces in Pitt's upset of No. 3 Minnesota in the NCAA Round of 16 last April.
> Miller will help bolster the Aztecs setter position after competing for Wofford College and Arizona State in 2018 and 2019, respectively. As a freshman at Wofford, she surpassed the 20-assist plateau on eight occasions before compiling six double-doubles (assist-digs) at ASU. An elite club player, Miller led to her Volley One Academy squad to a national championship in 2016, earning MVP honors for her performance.
> Haynie is a Southern California product who prepped at Chaparral High School in Temecula before starting 44 of 46 matches in two years at Portland State. As a sophomore last spring, the middle blocker ranked 10th in the Big Sky Conference with a .261 hitting percentage and
> Among the incoming freshmen, Labno was a multi-sport standout at Hilmar (Calif.) High School, where she garnered a trio of all-conference accolades after leading the Yellowjackets to three straight Trans Valley League championships, along with a pair of CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV titles. Labno, who also competed in basketball and track & field as a prep, recorded a .311 hitting percentage for her career with an average of 3.48 kills and 1.82 digs to go with 163 total blocks and 80 aces, according to MaxPreps.
> Mukaj starred for elite clubs over the past five years in her native Italy, including Igor Volley Trecate Novara II and Exacer Montale, leading the latter to a second-place finish in the Italian Serie B1 Group C tournament in 2019. She also another one of her club teams to the 2016-17 Serie C championship and a third-place standing at the Italian national U16 championships, In addition, Mukaj was named MVP and voted best middle blocker in the U16 regional finals that year.
> Likewise, Ruri was a standout performer for numerous prep and national teams at the junior and senior levels in her home country of New Zealand.
A versatile player with five years of experience as a setter, opposite and right-side hitter, Ruri most recently collected most valuable player honors and earned a spot on the all-tournament team after leading her squad to a gold medal at the New Zealand U19 Inter Provincial Championships in June 2021.
> Schuch adds depth to the Aztec back row after starring at Deer Valley High School in Phoenix, Arizona, where she garnered 4A West Valley Region Defensive Player of the Year accolades all four years as a prep, earning first-team all-region honors during that span as well. For her career, Schuch tallied 1,742 digs (4.2/sets) along with 176 service aces and 186 assists, according to MaxPreps.
> Goldsmith also excelled at the prep level at Freeman High School in Rockford, Washington, where she helped her squad to three top-10 state finishes, including a fourth-place showing as a junior in 2019. This past spring, Goldsmith collected 1A Northeast League MVP honors after leading the Scotties to a conference title with an undefeated 9-0 record during an abbreviated 2021 spring season in which her team did not drop a set (36-0). In addition to volleyball, she also won three letters in both basketball and golf during high school, as well as one in tennis.
> Rounding out the Aztec rookie class is Merk, who was a three-year letterwinner at prep powerhouse Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. During her high school career, Merk amassed 430 kills, 600 digs, 64 total blocks and 44 service aces, according to MaxPreps. She received all-state recognition as a senior in 2019 from Cal-Hi-Sports and earned Under Armour All-America honors.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Sam Houston has joined the Western Athletic Conference this season after competing in the Southland Conference last spring, when it posted an 11-3 overall record and a second-place mark of 10-2 mark in the SLC. The Bearkats were pegged for a second-place finish in the WAC Southwest Division in the league's preseason poll, receiving 21 points and a pair of first-place votes, trailing fellow SLC defector Stephen F. Austin. SHSU split two matches in its final Southland Conference tournament, defeating Central Arkansas, 3-1, in the semifinals before falling to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the title clash. The Bearkats are led by opposite/right-side hitter Ashley Lewis, who garnered all-Southland Conference Player of the Year accolades after ranking 25th in the nation with 4.36 kills per set to go with 3.54 digs per frame. Lewis earned a spot on the preseason all-WAC team this fall, along with teammate Morgan Janda, who received all-SLC recognition in the spring after averaging 7.34 assists per set and logging 10 double-doubles in 14 matches at the setter position. In all, SHSU returns its top six leaders in kills from the spring, including Breanne Chausse (2.61 kills/set) and Catherine Krieger (2.18 kills/set). Sophomore Hannah Baker anchors the back row for the Kats after averaging 4.75 digs per set as a freshman, while fellow classmate Madeline McKinney is expected to provide a boost after transferring from Houston Baptist, where she averaged 2.54 digs per frame in her rookie campaign. Freshman Marina Ognibene (Tallahassee, Fla.) is the lone competitor on SHSU's 17-player roster who does not hail from the state of Texas. Sam Houston alumna Brenda Gray begins her 38th season at the helm of the Bearkat program. Entering the 2021 campaign, she ranks 11th among active NCAA Division I women's coaches with 730 career victories. A four-time conference Coach of the Year, Gay guided SHSU to consecutive NCAA Division II Final Fours in her first two seasons at the controls in 1984 and 1985.
> Houston Baptist earned a spot in the Southland Conference tournament last spring for the eighth consecutive season after tying for fifth place with an 8-4 record. The Huskies received a forfeit in the first round after Incarnate Word dropped out of the event but fell short in four sets to eventual champion Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the quarterfinals to finish with a 9-10 mark overall. HBU was picked to finish second in the Southland Conference preseason poll, earning 149 points and two first-places votes, trailing defending league champion TAMU-CC. Individually, the Huskies placed five players on the preseason all-SLC team, including middle blockers Ebonie Ballesteros, Jada Allen, outside hitter Mikayla Vivens and setter Ellie Wipf, who received first-team recognition, joining libero Kaley Faris, a second-team honoree. Ballesteros led the SLC with 70 total blocks (1.27/set) last spring, while Wipf ranked second in the league with 9.94 assists per set (659 overall). In addition, Allen occupied the fifth spot with a .313 hitting percentage, while Faris (7th - 4.42 digs/set) and Vivens (10th - 2.67 kills per set) found themselves among the SLC leaders in their respective categories. The Huskies are guided by head coach Trent Herman, who enters his 10th season as head coach of the Houston Baptist program. Prior to his current position, Herman was the head coach for two seasons at the University of St. Thomas in Houston (2010-11) after stops as an assistant coach at Rice (2005-09) and Iowa State (2001-04). His career record stands at 191-162, including a 148-129 ledger at HBU.
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
> San Diego State was picked to finish sixth this year in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll released Aug. 18.
> In the 21-year history of the Mountain West, SDSU has finished first (2012), second (2002, 2011), fourth (2000, 2001, 2003, 2013, 2017), fifth (2005, 2015, 2019), sixth (1999, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016), seventh (2008) and eighth (2007, 2018, 2020) in the final league standings.
2021 Mountain West Preseason Poll
Rk. Team (1st-place votes), Pts.
1. UNLV (8) - 98
2. Boise State (2) - 90
3. Colorado State (1) - 80
4. Wyoming - 69
5. Fresno State - 61
6. San Diego State - 53
7. Air Force - 46
8. San José State - 41
9. Utah State - 29
10. New Mexico - 26
11. Nevada - 12
ON THE HORIZON
Following the Bearkat Invitational, San Diego State continues its non-conference next weekend, returning to the Golden State to compete in the Gaucho Invitational on the campus of UC Santa Barbara. The Aztecs will open the tournament on Friday, Sept. 3, when they take on the host Gauchos, starting at 6 p.m. PT, before wrapping up the event on Saturday, Sept. 4 with a pair of matches against Pepperdine (10 a.m. PT) and Kansas State (4:30 p.m. PT).