SAN DIEGO – San Diego State volleyball head coach Brent Hillard continues to fine-tune the Aztec roster with the addition of Georgia transfer Kayla Rivera for the 2022 fall campaign.
A 6-1 opposite hitter, Rivera played four seasons for the Bulldogs, earning 34 starts in 76 matches played from 2018-21. The Ventura, California, native will complete her collegiate eligibility at SDSU during the upcoming season.
"We are very excited that Kayla will be joining our program," Hilliard said. "She is a perfect fit for what we are looking for in a right-side player; she puts up a huge block and can terminate the ball with the best of them. Having the opportunity to speak with Kayla this spring, I also noticed that she will be a tremendous fit for our team's chemistry. We can't wait to welcome Kayla to campus this fall."
Rivera enjoyed her best season as a collegian in 2021, finishing with 201 kills (2.05/set), 77 total blocks (0.79/set) and 73 digs (0.75/set) in 98 sets played across 27 matches. She surpassed the double-dig kill plateau on eight occasions during the year and posted three or more blocks in 17 outings.
In a narrow five-set loss at Texas A&M last October, Rivera recorded her first career double-double with career highs of 15 kills and 18 digs to go with five block assists.
As a sophomore in 2019, Rivera contributed to a Georgia squad that earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for first time in six years, as the Bulldogs finished with a 20-10 record and a 12-6 mark in the Southeastern Conference. That season, she played in all 30 matches with 10 starts, totaling 197 kills (1.82/set), 52 blocks (0.48/set) and 15 service aces.
At the 2019 Blue Devil Classic in Durham, North Carolina, Rivera was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 2.90 kills (29 overall) and hitting .304 in three victories over Northwestern, American and host Duke, highlighted by a 14-kill performance in the second match, where she posted a .444 efficiency.
In addition to her on-court success, Rivera has excelled in the classroom, earning a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll for the 2020 fall semester. As a freshman, she was also a member of the 2018-19 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll. Rivera is on schedule to complete her undergraduate degree in consumer economics from Georgia later this spring.
Prior to her arrival on the Athens campus, Rivera won three varsity letters as a prep at Buena High School, where she twice garnered first-team all-Ventura County accolades to go with first-team all-Channel League honors.
Rivera becomes the fifth student-athlete to commit to the SDSU volleyball program for the 2022 season after high school stars Madison Corf, Kat Cooper and Cara Braun signed National Letters of Intent last November, while Elly Schraeder joined the Aztecs as a transfer from the University of San Diego at the semester break in January.