COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The San Diego State volleyball program collected two conference awards on Monday, as Heipua Tautua'a (Wai'anae, Hawai'i) was named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, while Ellie Geoghegan (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) received Freshman of the Week recognition.
Both players were honored for their key contributions in two crucial road victories against Nevada (Nov. 17) and San José State (Nov. 19), helping the Aztecs clinch a spot in the Mountain West Championship.
Tautua'a garnered the first weekly league accolade of her career after blasting a team-high 32 kills (4.00/set) and logging a .276 hitting percentage over the weekend. The SDSU outside hitter notched double-digit put-aways in back-to-back starts, while her attack efficiency was 123 points higher than her season clip of .153 heading into those matches.
A native of Wai'anae, Hawai'i, Tautua'a launched 13 kills at Nevada last Thursday, which kept the Aztecs alive for the final spot in the conference tournament. In the decisive fourth set vs. the Wolf Pack, she saved her best for last with five kills, committing just one error in nine swings for a .444 efficiency. During a key 8-3 run, the SDSU junior floored two shots that helped break open a tight 10-8 score and give the Aztecs momentum.
In a must-win situation at SJSU two days later, Tautua'a came through with a career-high 19 kills and a season-best .405 hitting percentage, completing her team-leading sixth double-double of the year with 16 digs. She set the tone with six put-aways in the opening set vs. the Spartans, taking matters into her own hands with three kills and a solo block down the stretch, as the Aztecs overcame a 20-18 deficit with a strong 7-3 closing run. Later in the second stanza, Tautua'a continued her barrage with five more non-returnables, including the clincher, capping another late 8-3 surge for the Scarlet and Black.
For the season, Tautua'a is tied for the team lead with double-digit kills in 12 matches and is one of two SDSU players to compile at least 100 kills (134, 2.20/set) and 100 digs (123, 2.02/set) this season.
Geoghegan, meanwhile, led the squad with a combined 36 digs, while her average of 4.50 digs per set was higher than her season clip of 3.17 entering the weekend. The freshman libero was part of an SDSU defense that limited two opponents to a combined .150 hitting percentage, which was 110 points lower than the opposition's .260 clip vs. the Aztecs prior to those matches.
A native of Manhattan Beach, California, Geoghegan led all players with 20 digs in the team's clutch win at Nevada, which marked her fifth outing this season with at least 20 scoops. She helped set the stage with seven digs in the first set vs. the Wolf Pack, as the Scarlet and Black limited the hosts to a .027 hitting percentage in that stretch.
Geoghegan came back with 16 digs against San José State to share team-high honors with Tautua'a. She contributed greatly to an SDSU defense that held the Spartans to a .113 hitting percentage for the day after they entered the contest with a .253 efficiency, which ranked third in the league.
Geoghegan, who merited conference weekly acclaim for the third time this year, did not commit an error in 39 chances for a clean 1.000 reception percentage over the weekend.
Against Mountain West foes, Geoghegan ranks sixth in the conference with 3.52 digs per set (236 total) while occupying the seventh spot in that category for all matches (3.27/set, 353 total).
Tautua'a and Geoghegan open the MW Championship on Wednesday, Nov. 23, as the sixth-seeded Aztecs take on tournament host and No. 3 seed Colorado State in a first-round matchup, starting at 4 p.m. MT/3 p.m. PT.
Aztec Volleyball Garners Two MW Weekly Accolades
