SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State volleyball team hits the road this week for a pair of matches against Mountain West adversaries Boise State and Utah State. The Aztecs will engage the Broncos on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT in Boise, Idaho, before locking horns with the Aggies on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. MT/noon PT in Logan, Utah. In addition to live stats, a link to streaming video via the Mountain West Network will be available on GoAztecs.com.
QUICK HITS
> SDSU finds itself in a tie for eighth place in the MW standings after dropping two encounters last week vs. UNLV and Fresno State to wrap up a four-match homestand. The Aztecs fell to the Rebels in three closely contested sets (21-25, 21-25, 20-25) before suffering a 3-2 heartbreaker against the Bulldogs (25-22, 22-25, 25-17, 23-25, 12-15).
> The SDSU attack is led by senior Victoria O'Sullivan, who ranks sixth in the Mountain West with an average of 3.41 kills per set. The Aztec outside hitter has posted double-digit kills in 13 of her previous 15 starts and has surpassed that plateau in 45 of her last 60 appearances dating back to the start of the 2019 campaign.
SERIES RECORD VS. BOISE STATE
> Since the teams first met in 2005, the Broncos hold a 10-9 edge in the all-time series.
> The Aztecs are 4-6 in 10 previous trips to Boise, highlighted by a 3-2 upset (25-20, 23-25, 25-21, 24-26, 15-13) during the shortened 2021 spring campaign. SDSU also emerged triumphant at Bronco Gym in 2011, 2013 and 2018.
> In that contest last March, the Aztecs recorded perhaps their biggest victory in recent memory after Boise State entered the match with four straight 3-0 sweeps.
> The two sides combined for 37 ties and 13 lead changes during the two-and-a-half-hour thriller, but SDSU maintained the upper hand in team blocks, finishing with a 15.0-7.0 advantage while holding the statistical edge in kills (62-59), assists (60-53) and digs (73-62) to help fuel its win.
> Each team was plagued by 10 errant serves; however, the Aztecs posted a season-high eight aces and committed eight fewer attack errors, as the Scarlet and Black out-hit the Broncos .236 to .157 for the match.
> Among this season's returners, Victoria O'Sullivan (15) and Heipua Tautua'a (14) combined for 29 of SDSU's 62 kills.
> Tautua'a finished with a season-best .462 hitting percentage and came up with six block assists, while O'Sullivan totaled six stops as well, including a pair of solo stuffs.
> In addition, Ashley Vanderpan notched her third double-double of the year with 31 assists and 11 digs, while Kennedy Feuerborn (5 kills) dished out 16 helpers.
> Boise State will travel to "America's Finest City" for the rematch between the two squads on Saturday, Oct. 30.
SERIES RECORD VS. UTAH STATE
> The Aztecs lead the all-time series with the Aggies 18-7 after splitting a weekend series with the Aggies in San Diego last spring.
> The teams played both matches at Jenny Craig Pavilion on the University of San Diego campus after a roof leak affected the playing surface inside Peterson Gym.
> The Aztecs dropped a 3-0 decision in the opener (23-25, 13-25, 19-25) before overcoming a two-set deficit for a dramatic 3-2 victory in the finale (19-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 15-7), which snapped a five-match losing streak.
> In the triumphant encounter, SDSU shared the offensive wealth, as four players surpassed the double-digit kill plateau, including Victoria O'Sullivan, who launched 12 non-returnables, while Andrea Walker and Heipua Tautua'a finished with 11 each.
> Tautua'a registered her first collegiate double-double after posting 11 digs as well, while Walker hit at crisp .529 pace, committing just two errors on 17 attempts.
> Overall, SDSU owns a 12-1 record against Utah State in San Diego, a 4-3 mark in Logan and a 2-3 ledger vs. the Aggies on a neutral floor.
> In their last visit to USU in the penultimate match of the 2019 campaign, the Aztecs came away with a four-set victory (25-18, 29-27, 17-25, 25-20), as O'Sullivan led all players with 17 kills, while Walker added a career-high 13 put-aways to go with six block assists.
> Despite trailing by a substantial margin in team blocks (21.0 to 9.0), SDSU maintained the statistical advantage in kills (62-47) and digs (68-45) to help fuel that win.
> The Aztecs-Aggies rematch in San Diego is set for Thursday, Oct. 28.
SCHEDULE CHANGE
> San Diego State's road match at UNLV has been rescheduled for Monday, Nov. 1, at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, starting at 6:30 p.m. PT. The contest was originally slated for Tuesday, Nov. 2.
SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> As of Oct. 13, libero Natalie Smith ranks fourth in the Mountain West with an average of 4.13 digs per set (256 overall).
> In addition, outside hitter Victoria O'Sullivan is slotted in the sixth position with 3.41 kills per set, while setter Noa Miller ranks eighth with 6.16 assists per frame.
> Smith's 27 digs vs. Houston Baptist on Aug. 27 is tied for the third-best performance in the conference this season.
> Meanwhile, O'Sullivan's 19 kills vs. San Diego on Sept. 11 are the tied for the seventh-best effort in the league this year, while her 15 put-aways at UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 3 are also tied for the ninth-highest in a three-set match.
> 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 is 11th entering the week, while O'Sullivan's .519 efficiency (15-1-27) at UC Santa Barbara in the same tournament ranks 12th.
> Elsewhere, Serena Hodson's eight total blocks at Sam Houston on Aug. 28 is tied for the ninth-best total in the MW thus far, while Sara Mukaj's four service aces the previous day against the same Bearkat squad is tied for 10th.
> Collectively, the Aztecs occupy the sixth spot in the conference with an average of 13.30 digs per set while ranking seventh in team kills (12.30/set) and hitting percentage (.212).
IT'S MILLER TIME
> Senior Noa Miller ramped up her production during the Aztecs' recent homestand when she averaged 6.73 assists per set in four matches, which was higher than her season pace of 5.92 helpers per set prior to that stretch.
> Miller totaled 20 or more assists in each of the last four matches, including 28 vs. New Mexico on Sept. 30 to tie her season best.
> The SDSU setter has also recorded double-doubles in her last two starts, posting 21 assists and 12 digs against UNLV on Oct. 5, before finishing with 27 assists and 13 digs two days later vs. Fresno State, the latter of which tied her collegiate high. She now has 14 double-doubles for her career, including three this year after recording six at Arizona State (2019) and five at Wofford (2018).
> Against the Bulldogs, Miller added to her versatility by collecting a career-high six kills on six attempts (1.000).
> Entering the week, the Douglasville, Georgia, native leads the Aztecs with 10 service aces and needs just one dig to reach 100 for her career.
GOLDSMITH SHINES
> Freshman Jordyn Goldsmith has started the last four matches, posting 24 kills, 10 total blocks and eight digs while hitting at a .370 efficiency.
> In SDSU's 3-0 sweep over Air Force on Oct. 2, the Valleyford, Washington, native knocked down seven kills on 11 attempts without an error for a sparkling .636 hitting percentage.
> Last week vs. Fresno State on Oct. 7, Goldsmith set a collegiate-bet with five total blocks, including a solo stop. She also had four block assists in the Aztecs' 3-0 blanking of UC Riverside on Sept. 18.
> While listed as an opposite hitter, Goldsmith holds a rare distinction of playing at middle blocker as a left-hander recently due to injuries to Sara Mukaj and Julia Haynie.
OTHER TRENDS
> All five of San Diego State's victories this season have been recorded when the Aztecs have finished with more kills and digs, as well as a greater hitting percentage.
> SDSU has lost two matches this season when posting a better efficiency – both five-set defeats. The Aztecs out-hit Sam Houston in their final match of the Bearkat Invitational on Aug. 28 (.230 to .179) before experiencing the same fate at home vs. Fresno State on Oct. 7 (.247 to .201).
> San Diego State has dropped four matches this year when posting more kills than the opposition, including two straight last week in a 3-0 setback to UNLV (42-32) and the aforementioned heartbreaker to Fresno State (62-56). The Aztecs also recorded more kills in that five-setter at Sam Houston on Aug. 28 (59-52) and a four-set home defeat to No. 25 San Diego on Sept. 11 (57-49).
> The Aztecs are 3-0 when hitting above .300 this season, notching a season-high .384 clip in a sweep at UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 3, followed by a .337 efficiency in a hard-fought whitewash of Air Force on Oct. 2. SDSU has finished with a .303 hitting percentage in a blanking of UC Riverside at the Wildcat Classic.
> The Aztecs have fallen in three matches when maintaining the upper hand in blocks, including losses to New Mexico (10.0 to 7.0), Long Beach State (8.0 to 5.0) and the second defeat at Sam Houston (12.0 to 7.0).
> San Diego State's sweep of Air Force on Oct. 2 marked the first time this season the Aztecs prevailed when an opponent hit over .200 for the match, as the Falcons finished with a .272 clip.
> When Victoria O'Sullivan posted a team-leading nine kills in SDSU's sweep at Nevada on Sept. 23, it marked the first time in four matches this year the Aztecs emerged victorious without having a player reaching the double-digit plateau in that statistic.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Picked to finish second in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll, Boise State (14-4, 3-3 MW) lost a four-set decision at New Mexico in its last outing on Oct. 9 (25-22, 22-25, 21-25, 20-25) to slip into a fifth-place tie in the league standings. The Broncos posted an 11-1 mark in non-conference play, winning three straight tournament titles outright (UCI/Adidas Invite, Sacramento State Invite, Boise State Classic) after sharing the event crown at their season-opening Boise State Invitational. Offensively, the Broncos are paced by junior outside hitter Lauren Ohlinger, who leads the MW with 3.83 kills per set and occupies the second position with 35 service aces (0.53/set), which ranks ninth nationally entering the week. In addition, junior middle blocker Alyssa Wissinger finds herself atop the conference perch with 1.74 blocks per set and ranks fifth with a team-best .365 hitting percentage, while senior setter Danielle Boss owns a MW-leading average of 10.77 assists per set. Not to be outdone, senior middle blocker Alli O'Hara (1.23/set) and sophomore opposite Makayla Hansen (1.14/set) rank second and fourth in blocks, respectively, while sophomore libero Jolei Akima is slotted seventh in the conference with 3.23 digs per frame. As a team, Boise State leads the Mountain West with a .266 hitting percentage and 2.85 blocks per set, the latter of which ranks ninth nationally. In addition, the Broncos' 188.0 total blocks and 132 service aces are currently fourth and 10th in the country, respectively. Boise State is also holding its opponents to a .170 hitting percentage, which ranks third in the conference. The Broncos are 6-2 at home this season and 4-2 on the road while posting a 4-0 mark in neutral-site matches. Redshirt freshman libero Sam Beschell hails from nearby Solana Beach, California, where she prepped at Santa Fe Christian High. Head coach Shawn Garus is in his 13th season at the helm of the Bronco program, sporting a 327-272 career record and a 220-152 mark at the school. Garus captured back-to-back Mountain West Coach of the Year honors (2015-16) to go with 2016 AVCA Region Coach of the Year accolades.
> Utah State (12-6, 4-2 MW), which was pegged for a ninth-place finish in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll, enters the week alone in fourth in the conference standings. The Aggies split a pair of road matches last week, falling in a 3-2 nail-biter at New Mexico (25-22, 14-25, 21-25, 25-22, 10-15) before rebounding with a four-set triumph over Air Force (25-11, 25-19, 17-25, 25-14). Individually, junior middle blocker Kennedi Boyd (2.04 kills/set) leads the Mountain West with a .408 hitting percentage, which ranks 19th nationally entering the week. Along with Boyd, USU sports three other players who are averaging over two kills per set, including sophomore outside hitter Tatum Stall (2.80), senior outside hitter Kristy Frank (2.26) and junior middle blocker Kylee Stokes (2.06). In addition, senior middle blocker Corinne Larsen occupies the fifth spot in the conference with 1.13 blocks per set, while sophomore libero Abby Peterson (3.35 digs/set) and junior setter Kalena Vaivai (5.21 assists/set) find themselves among the MW leaders, ranking sixth and 10th in their respective statistical categories. Collectively, the Aggies are slotted fourth in the Mountain West in hitting percentage (.239), blocks (2.24/set) and opponent hitting percentage (.188) while ranking fifth in kills (12.81/set) and seventh in service aces (1.46/set). Utah State is guided by second-year head coach Rob Neilson, who arrived on the Logan campus after serving as the lead assistant coach for the U.S. men's national team from 2017-19. Prior to his stint with Team USA, Neilson spent 10 years on the Brigham Young men's volleyball coaching staff, including the final two as the program's associate head coach in 2014-15. In 2011, he served as the Cougars' interim head coach, leading the squad to a 20-8 record and a No. 2 national ranking. Neilson played collegiately at BYU from 2003-06, starting at setter during the 2005 and 2006 campaigns. He was a member of the Cougars' 2004 national championship team and tallied 2,790 assists in his career, which ranks fifth in the BYU record book in the rally scoring era.
ON THE HORIZON
> Following Saturday's match at Utah State, San Diego State wraps up the first half of its Mountain West slate next week when it plays host to Colorado State on Thursday, Oct. 21, before making a trip to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains for a clash with Wyoming on Saturday, Oct. 23. The Aztecs-Rams match is set to begin at 7 p.m. PT, while the starting time for the SDSU-Wyoming encounter is set for 6:30 p.m. MT/5:30 p.m. PT.
Aztecs Prepare for Two Road Matches This Week
