SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team commences a season-long four-match road swing this week when it travels to the Central Valley to face Fresno State on Tuesday, Sept. 27, starting at 6 p.m. PT.
The Aztecs (3-10, 1-1 MW) are coming off a 3-1 home victory (25-16, 25-22, 20-25, 26-24) over Nevada last Saturday to put the brakes on a nine-match losing skid. Freshman Madison Corf blasted a career-high 22 kills to lead the Scarlet and Black, while sophomore Mikela Labno (14) and senior Kayla Rivera (13) also surpassed the double-digit plateau in put-aways.
As a team, SDSU recorded season bests in kills (71), attempts (156) and hitting percentage (.295) to fuel the win.
In addition, the Aztec defense held firm, limiting the Wolf Pack to just 39 kills and a .203 efficiency after notching a season-high 77 digs. Individually, freshman McKenna Douglas established a career best as well with 26 digs, while fellow classmate Ellie Geoghegan added 13 scoops of her own.
With her performance, Corf has taken over the team lead in kills (2.60/set) for all matches, while Heipua Tautua'a (2.51/set) ranks second, followed by Rivera (2.22/set) and Labno (2.08/set).
In addition, Elly Schraeder is slotted sixth in the conference this week with 1.05 block per set, while Douglas (3.61/set) and Geoghegan (2.78/set) occupy the top two spots on the team in digs.
Although SDSU is eighth in the Mountain West for overall matches in kills (12.22/set) and ranks last in both digs (11.86/set) and blocks (1.68/set), the Scarlet and Black has fared better during league play, occupying the fifth position in kills (12.73/set) and digs (13.64/set) while ranking seventh in blocks (1.82/set).
Meanwhile, Fresno State (6-8, 0-2 MW) dropped its first two conference matches last week in five-set nail-biters at home. The Bulldogs held a 2-1 set lead against Nevada last Thursday before the Wolf Pack rallied to capture the final three frames. Lightning struck once again on Saturday, as Fresno State built a commanding 2-0 lead before San José State stormed back to pull off the reverse sweep.
Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by sophomore outside hitter Ella Rud, who is slotted ninth in the Mountain West this week with 3.12 kills per set, while senior Grace Doyle is averaging 2.78 put-aways per frame and ranks fifth in the conference in both hitting percentage (.345) and blocks (1.07/set).
Elsewhere, sophomore Brooke Cowie finds herself among the conference leaders this weeks in assists (10th, 5.23/set), while fellow classmate Sydney Gazzaniga tops the squad in digs (3.27/set).
Despite falling short in their first two MW matches, Fresno State still ranks third with a .244 hitting percentage in conference play and is slotted fifth for all contests with a .224 clip.
Defensively, the Bulldogs rank third and sixth, respectively, in blocks (2.24/set) and digs (13.05/set) for all matches. In addition, Fresno State opponents are hitting at a .218 efficiency for the season and a nearly identical .213 clip after two league outings, which marks the fifth-lowest in MW play. However, the Bulldogs are just 10th in the conference with 11.90 kills per set for all matches.
Despite a pair of narrow five-set losses to Fresno State last season, San Diego State still leads the all-time varsity series 33-17 dating back to 1976.
The Aztecs are 9-10 in 19 previous trips to Fresno since 1986, including a 3-2 setback (16-25, 25-17, 24-26, 25-22, 8-15) in their last visit to the Central Valley on Nov. 7, 2021.
Among SDSU returners, Tautua'a displayed her all-round game in that match, posting eight kills, 10 digs and a pair of service aces, while Julia Haynie contributed five put-aways of her own to go with five blocks, including a solo stop.
Facing a 21-18 deficit in the fourth set, the Aztecs quickly turned the tables with a 7-1 spurt to stun the Bulldogs. Tautua'a served up an ace during the run, while Haynie sent the match to a fifth and deciding set with a solo block.
The Bulldogs are 2-3 at home this year, while SDSU is 0-4 in road/neutral matches.
Fresno State is under the direction of interim head coach Abbie Wright, who spent the previous five seasons at Division II Seattle Pacific, where she compiled a 65-62 record. Prior to her tenure in the Evergreen State, Wright served as an assistant coach at her alma mater Biola University from 2013-16.
Following Tuesday's clash, SDSU will venture from the Golden State for the first time this season when it heads to Las Vegas to battle UNLV on Saturday, Oct. 1, beginning at 1 p.m. PT.
Aztecs Open Road Swing at Fresno State on Tuesday
