SAN DIEGO -- After traveling to compete in a pair of non-conference tournaments over the first two weekends of the 2021 fall schedule, San Diego State will play its first two home matches of the regular season this week when it welcomes No. 16 UCLA and No. 25 San Diego to Aztec Court at Peterson Gym on consecutive nights, Sept. 10-11. First serve for both matches is set for 7 p.m. PT.
In addition to live stats, SDSU's two matches vs. the Bruins and Toreros will be streamed live via the Mountain West Network with links available on GoAztecs.com.
The Aztecs' two encounters comprise the SDSU/USD Invitational, with UCLA squaring off against San Diego to open the event on Thursday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. inside Jenny Craig Pavilion.
Free SDSU T-shirts will be given to the first 250 fans attending this weekend's game. Black T-shirts will be presented for the UCLA match, while red T-shirts will be distributed for the USD clash.
The Aztecs have not played a regular-season home match in front of wide audience of fans since Nov. 14, 2019, when they defeated Air Force in a tough four-set battle (25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22).
Andrea Walker and Victoria O'Sullivan are the lone returners from that match. Walker posted 10 kills and three block assists, while O'Sullivan floored eight shots and assisted on three blocks of her own.
Saturday's match against USD marks Brent Hilliard's first meeting against his former team after accepting the head coaching position at SDSU in January 2020. Hilliard was an assistant with the Toreros for 19 years, serving as the program's associate head coach from 2007-19.
The Scarlet and Black has not faced ranked opponents in consecutive matches since it battled No. 25 Wyoming and No. 20 Colorado State on Oct. 1-3, 2015.
SERIES RECORDS
> San Diego State and UCLA will be renewing acquaintances for the first time since the 2012 campaign, when it dropped a 3-0 decision (11-25, 20-25, 18-25) to the third-ranked Bruins at the Verizon Volleyball Challenge in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Later that season, the Aztecs crafted an 11-match winning streak to capture a share of the Mountain West championship and clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
> SDSU has faced UCLA 53 times in the program's varsity history since 1976, posting a 12-41 record. The Aztecs have lost 12 straight to the Bruins dating back to 1986, when they won both encounters in a home-and-away series.
> San Diego State last hosted UCLA at Peterson Gym on Oct. 8, 1997, when the Bruins claimed a three-set triumph in narrow fashion (15-13, 18-16, 15-10). The teams were conference rivals in the old Western Collegiate Athletic Association (WCAA) from 1976-84.
> The Aztecs trail the all-time series vs. USD, 27-31, after falling in three sets (13-25, 15-25, 20-25) at Jenny Craig Pavilion in 2019.
> SDSU snapped a five-match slide against the Toreros the previous year on Aztec Court with a 3-0 whitewash (25-15, 25-19, 25-23), representing the Scarlet and Black's first sweep of USD since 1999. San Diego State finished with a season-best .410 hitting percentage in that contest, which mark their highest single-match efficiency since a .428 clip vs. Montana in 2012.
> In addition, the Scarlet and Black ended a dubious streak of 15 sets dropped against USD after limiting its crosstown neighbor to its third-worst hitting percentage of the entire 2018 campaign with a .125 pace.
NOTHIN' LIKE HOME COOKIN'
> Since the beginning of the 2009 campaign, the Aztecs have amassed a 109-55 (.665) record at home, highlighted by a 14-0 mark during the 2012 season when SDSU captured the Mountain West championship.
> During the 2021 spring slate, the Aztecs fashioned a winning record at home for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons after logging a 5-4 record.
ALL-TOURNAMENT AZTECS PART II
> For the second consecutive weekend, outside hitter Victoria O'Sullivan earned a spot on an all-tournament team following her performance at the Gaucho Invitational in Santa Barbara, Calif.
> In three matches, O'Sullivan led the Aztecs with an average of 3.45 kills per set (38 overall) and hit .295 to go with seven digs and five block assists.
> O'Sullivan has recorded double-digit kills in four straight matches, including season highs of 15 kills and a .519 efficiency in SDSU's triumph over UCSB.
SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> Entering the weekend, senior libero Natalie Smith ranks fourth in the Mountain West with an average of 4.14 digs per set (91 overall).
> Smith's 27 digs vs. Houston Baptist on Aug. 27 are tied for the conference lead in a single match this season.
> In addition, Sara Mukaj's four service aces at Sam Houston on Aug. 27 is tied for the fourth-best performance in the MW thus far.
> Meanwhile, Victoria O'Sullivan's 15 kills are the tied for the third-best effort in a three-set match in the league this year.
> Not to be outdone, the Aztecs own two of the top individual hitting percentages with a minimum of 12 kills in the Mountain West this season. Mikela Labno's .522 clip against (13-1-23) against Pepperdine at the Gaucho Invitational ranks third as of Sept. 9, while Zoi Faki's .455 efficiency (12-2-22) vs. UC Santa Barbara is seventh.
> Collectively, the Aztecs occupy the fifth spot in the conference with an average of 13.4 digs per set while ranking sixth in team kills (12.1/set) and assists (11.1/set).
NEWCOMERS SHINE
> The Aztecs boast 10 newcomers on their 2021 fall roster, with several providing key contributions during the first two weekends of play.
> Senior outside hitter Zoi Faki ranks second on the team with an average of 2.73 kills (60 overall) and 2.23 digs per set (49 overall) while occupying the third spot with three service aces. Against Sam Houston on Aug. 28, the Pitt transfer logged her first double-double in an Aztec uniform with 14 kills and 12 digs.
> Fellow classmate Natalie Smith, who received all-tournament recognition at the Bearkat Invitational, ranks fourth in the Mountain West with an average of 4.14 digs per set. In the season opener vs. Houston Baptist, the Michigan transfer posted 27 digs, which is tied for the top performance in the conference so far this year.
> Freshman Mikela Labno saw her first extended action of the season at the Gaucho Invitational, averaging 2.64 kills in all 11 sets while hitting at a .292 clip. The Aztec outside hitter knocked down a career-high 13 kills against Pepperdine, hitting .522 for the match, which ranks as the third-best individual efficiency in the Mountain West thus far. For the season, Labno ranks third on the squad with 2.31 kills per set.
> Arizona State transfer Noa Miller started all three matches at setter in the Gaucho Invitational, averaging 6.00 assists and 1.64 digs per set. In her first start for the Aztecs vs. UCSB, Miller dished out 22 assists and scooped up seven digs, helping the Scarlet and Black to its first victory of the season. She also added 25 helpers and another seven digs the following day against Kansas State.
> Freshman Sara Mukaj has started five of six matches and leads the Scarlet and Black with 16 total blocks. In the first match vs. Sam Houston at the Bearkat Invite on Aug. 27, the Aztec middle blocker served up four aces, which is tied for the fourth-best effort in the MW this year. In the rematch against the Bearkats, Mukaj returned the following day and led the Aztecs with a .636 hitting percentage, launching seven kills on 11 swings without an error to go with five digs and four block assists.
> Another freshman Jordyn Goldsmith has came off the bench in four of six matches and ranks fifth on the squad with 1.75 kills per set (21 overall).
Against Pepperdine at the Gaucho Invitational, the SDSU opposite recorded a season-best .385 hitting percentage, blasting seven kills on 13 swings with just two errors. At the Bearkat Invite the previous week, Goldsmith also launched seven put-aways in the weekend finale vs. Sam Houston, finishing with season highs of three digs and three block assists as well.
> Former Portland State middle blocker Julia Haynie has started all five matches she has played and is tied for third on the squad with 10 total blocks while adding 16 kills. The Aztec junior posted a season-high four block assists against Pepperdine at the Gaucho Invitational. She also knocked down six kills and hit .444 in her Scarlet and Black debut vs. Houston Baptist on Aug. 27, before returning with a pair of put-aways and two block assists in the nightcap against Sam Houston.
> Freshman outside hitter Reagan Merk served up aces on her first two collegiate serves in the second set vs. Sam Houston on Aug. 27.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> UCLA moved up two spots into the No. 16 position in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll after winning all three matches at the Long Beach State Tournament last week. The Bruins swept the Beach (25-16, 25-13, 25-21) and Portland State (25-14, 25-10, 25-16) before defeating then-No. 16 Georgia Tech 3-1 (25-11, 25-22, 25-27, 25-11) in the finale. Against the Yellow Jackets, outside hitter Charitie Luper tied for match-high honors with 17 kills and scooped up eight digs to earn Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors. After posting a 15-7 record last spring, highlighted by a second-round NCAA Tournament appearance, the Bruins were pegged for a second-place finish behind Washington in the 2021 Pac-12 preseason coaches poll. After four matches, the Bruins have been paced by outside hitter Mac May, who is averaging 4.14 kills per set, which ranks fourth in the Pac-12 and 44th nationally entering the weekend. In addition, Luper has averaged 3.17 kills per frame, while setter Shelby Martin, who earned second-team all-Big 12 honors at Kansas State last spring, occupies the six spot in the conference with 9.75 assists per set. Elsewhere, middle blocker Anna Dodson (1.38 blocks/set) and libero Zoe Fleck (4.00/set) find themselves among the Pac-12 leaders, ranking fifth and sixth in their respective statistical categories. As a team, UCLA owns the second-best hitting percentage in the Pac-12 with a .286 clip and ranks third in blocks (2.93/set), which is good for 16th in the country. In addition, the Bruins are among the top half of the conference in kills (5th, 13.2/set) and digs (6th, 13.4/set). UCLA is led by head coach Michael Sealy, who is entering his 12th season at the helm of the Bruin program, highlighted by a national championship in 2011. Prior to his return to the Westwood campus, Sealy served as associate head coach at Hawai'i from 2006-09, where he was part of a staff that guided the Rainbow Wahine to the national semifinals in his final season. He also spent four years as assistant coach with the UCLA men's team from 2003-06, as well as assisting with the Bruin women's team in 2005. One of the top setters in UCLA history, Sealy was a four-year letterwinner with the Bruins from 1990-93 and ranks fourth in program history in assists (4,749). In his senior season, Sealy helped UCLA capture the program's 14th national championship. His career record as a head coach stands at 236-109.
> San Diego slipped three spots into the 25th position in the latest AVCA national rankings despite notching a 2-1 record last weekend at the Utah Classic in Salt Lake City. The Toreros opened with a 3-0 blanking of Hawai'i (25-13, 25-17, 25-19) before falling to then-No. 19 Utah in four sets (30-28, 22-25, 22-25, 17-25). However, USD rebounded with another sweep in the finale, cruising past Cal Poly (25-15, 25-18, 25-19). The Toreros were picked to finish second in the West Coast Conference preseason coaches poll, while opposite hitter Grace Frohling and outside hitter Katie Lukes earned a spot on the preseason all-WCC team. Entering the week, Frohling ranks fourth in the conference with 3.88 kills per set, while Lukes (3.57 kills/set) occupies the seventh spot in that statistic. In addition, middle blockers Gabby Goddard (1st, 1.33 blocks/set) and Leyla Blackwell (3rd, 1.29 blocks/set) find themselves among the WCC leaders in blocks, while setter Isadora Tercariol (10.29 assists/set) and libero Annie Benbow (4.06 digs/set) rank third in their respective categories. Collectively, USD leads the WCC with 2.94 blocks per set and finds itself among the conference leaders in assists (3rd, 12.2/set), digs (14.1/set) and kills. Now in her 23rd year with the program, head coach Jennifer Petrie has led the Toreros to the NCAA Tournament on 20 occasions during her career, including their 11th straight appearance during the spring of 2021. She is a six-time West Coast Conference Coach of the Year recipient. Petrie's career record stands at 430-157.
ON THE HORIZON
> Following this week's action, San Diego State hits the road for a single match at Long Beach State on Tuesday, Sept. 14, starting at 7 p.m. PT. The Aztecs will then venture to the desert for the Wildat Classic in Tucson, where it will battle Texas Southern and host Arizona on Friday, Sept. 17, before wrapping up the tournament with a clash against UC Riverside on Saturday, Sept. 18.
Aztecs Gearing Up for Home Openers vs. UCLA, USD
