SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team bolstered its 2023 newcomer class after head coach Brent Hilliard announced the addition of DePaul transfer Taylor Underwood, who joined the Aztec program over the semester break.
"We are very excited to introduce Taylor to our Aztec family," Hilliard said. "Taylor is a very long athlete who has the versatility to play opposite or outside hitter, and the opportunity to get her involved with the team mid-year will also help build the necessary chemistry needed before the fall season. I expect Taylor to be a very valuable player for us, and I couldn't be happier with her arrival on campus."
A native of Norco, California, the 6-2 Underwood earned a spot on the Big East all-freshman team during her lone season in the Windy City in 2022 when she ranked third on the Blue Demons with 2.47 kills per set (258 overall) while contributing 36 blocks.
In addition, Underwood was named Big East Freshman of the week on Sept. 12, 2022 after posting double-digit kills (3.33/set) in three victories at the DePaul Invitational where she also hit a collective .326 and totaled six block assists, leading the Blue Demons to the tournament crown.
For the season, Underwood surpassed the double-digit kill plateau on 13 occasions, blasting a career-high 18 kills vs. Seton Hall on October 7, 2022.
Underwood originally signed with DePaul after a stellar career at Norco High School, where she averaged 3.0 kills per set and hit .357 with 47 blocks in two varsity seasons, according to MaxPreps.
As a senior in 2021, Underwood averaged 3.4 kills per set and posted a .423 hitting percentage to go with 41 service aces to earn first-team all-conference honors.
During her sophomore campaign in 2019, Underwood contributed to a Norco High squad that captured Big VIII Conference and CIF Southern Section Division IV championships before earning a spot in the CIF state tournament.
Underwood joins a talented SDSU newcomer class that features 2022 first-team AVCA High School All-American Natalie Hughes (McKinney, Texas), along with two other prep standouts in Fatimah Hall (Long Beach, Calif.) and Campbell Hague (Cheney, Kan.), all of whom signed with the Aztecs in November.
"We expect Taylor to compete for playing time immediately, and she will certainly help us take the next step in our goal of becoming Mountain West champs," Hilliard added. "With such a dynamic hitter joining us, we have a lot of options at our disposal moving forward."
San Diego State will be looking to build on its 2022 campaign when it won seven of its final 11 matches and advanced to the semifinals of the Mountain West Championship.