SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team opens its highly anticipated 2023 season this weekend when it ventures to the Pacific Northwest for the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown, Aug. 25-27, at Viking Pavilion on the campus of Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.
The Aztecs commence tournament play on Friday when they lock horns with Cal State Fullerton in a mid-afternoon clash, beginning at 2 p.m. PT, before squaring off against Kansas State and Portland State on successive days to close out the weekend. Saturday's engagement with the Wildcats is scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m., while Sunday's skirmish with the host Vikings is slated for a 1:30 p.m. start.
Live stats will be available for all three matches, with links available on GoAztecs.com. In addition, Sunday's match vs. Portland State will air on a subscription basis via ESPN+.
FOR OPENERS
San Diego State's record stands at 23-24 in season openers since the program attained varsity status in 1976. The Rose City Showdown represents the fourth season-opening tournament on the road in the last nine years, following the 2015 USF Invitational in San Francisco, Calif., the 2019 FGCU Homewood Suites Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., and the 2021 Sam Houston Bearkat Invitational, in Huntsville, Texas. Additionally, the Aztecs opened an abbreviated 2021spring slate with a pair of conference matches at UNLV after the 2020 fall schedule was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
SERIES RECORDS
San Diego State owns a decisive 46-5 in the all-time series vs. Cal State Fullerton dating back to 1976. The Aztecs last battled the Titans in 2016 when they posted a 3-0 sweep at home in the SDSU/USD California Mixer. The Scarlet and Black is 2-0 vs. Fullerton on a neutral floor, emerging victorious at the 1976 UCLA Invitational and the 1977 Pepperdine Tournament. The Aztecs and Titans were former conference rivals in the WCAA (1976-84) and the PCAA/Big West (1985-89).
SDSU has faced Kansas State on one previous occasion, dropping a 3-1 decision (19-25, 25-18, 23-25, 16-25) in its final match of the 2021 Gaucho Invitational in Santa Barbara, Calif. Four Aztecs remain from that match, including Mikela Labno, who blasted nine kills and contributed a pair of digs, while Heipua Tautua'a finished with four put-aways of her own while adding five digs and three block assists. In addition, Julia Haynie finished with three kills and two blocks, including a solo stuff, while Jordyn Goldsmith launched two non-returnables. However, the Wildcats maintained the collective advantage in kills (56-47), digs (45-39), team blocks (10.0-6.0) and service aces (6-4) to help secure the victory.
Prior to Big 12 expansion, SDSU boasted a 26-22 record against the conference's 2022 alignment, including a 3-1 setback to No. 9 Baylor at the ASIC Pepperdine Classic last year.
The Aztecs have battled two other squads from the Sunflower State in their history, including a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Kansas in the opener of the 2011 DePaul Invitational in Chicago. SDSU has also played Wichita State three times, defeating the Shockers 3-0 at the 1997 Golden Flash Classic in Kent, Ohio, before falling in consecutive road and home tournaments in 2003-04.
The Aztecs have emerged triumphant in all four meetings against Portland State, including their most recent affair in 2017, when the Scarlet and Black prevailed in three sets for its lone victory of the Aztec Invitational. SDSU has visited the Rose City on one previous occasion, logging a 3-0 sweep of the Vikings in the 2000 Nike Conference Challenge.
TOURNAMENT CONNECTIONS
Aztec middle blocker Julia Haynie originally signed with Portland State after graduating from Chaparral High School in Temecula, Calif., racking up 165 kills (1.67/set) and 121 blocks (1.22/set) across 46 matches in two seasons with the Vikings.
As a prep senior at Liberty (Mo.) High School in 2021, SDSU outside hitter Madison Corf competed against current Kansas State freshman Reagan Fox, who was a junior at St. Teresa's Academy that season. Liberty High emerged triumphant with a 3-0 sweep in that non-district match, as Corf blasted a team-high 13 kills and hit .478, while Fox led her squad with 11 put-aways of her own.
Aztec freshman opposite Natalie Hughes squared off against K-State freshman Lauren Schneider when both were high school seniors in Texas. Schneider posted 22 kills and hit .425, leading Guyer High to a 3-1 triumph over Hughes' McKinney North squad in an early-season tournament. Hughes finished with 14 kills and a .393 clip in the loss.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Cal State Fullerton was picked to finish ninth in the Big West preseason coaches poll released on Aug. 18. The Titans return just six letterwinners, including three starters and their libero, from a squad that posted a 13-15 overall record and an eighth-place mark of 7-13 in conference play last year.
Junior outside hitter Lyla Traylor leads the veteran group heading into the 2023 campaign after averaging 2.95 kills (313 overall) and 2.88 digs (305 overall) in 106 sets last season, while middle blocker Bianca Martinez topped the squad with 96 total blocks (0.91/set), including 23 solo stuffs as a freshman in 2022.
The Titans lost their primary setter from a year ago in Elizabeth Schuster (9.19 assists/set), leaving Division II transfers Anna Schatz (CSU San Bernardino) and Mya Tillman to battle for the starting position. In all, CSF sports six freshmen on its roster, including middle blocker Nia Cummings, a San Diego native who prepped at Cedar Park High School in Texas.
Kansas State was pegged for an eighth-place finish in a newly expanded Big 12 Conference that features 13 schools that sponsor women's volleyball. The Wildcats found themselves slotted sixth in a nine-team race last season with a 6-10 mark before ending the year with a 15-14 ledger overall.
K-State welcomes back 10 letterwinners, including middle blocker Sydney Bolding, who received AVCA All-Midwest Region honorable mention after ranking 30th nationally with 141.0 total blocks and 38th with 1.32 blocks per set. Joining Bolding on the preseason all-Big 12 team is outside hitter Aliyah Carter, a two-time all-region and all-conference honoree (2020-21) who ranked second on the team with 2.87 kills per set (238 overall), while fellow outside Shaylee Myers is also back in the mix after averaging 3.32 kills in 65 sets across 23 matches last year to earn a spot on the Big 12 all-rookie team.
Meanwhile, Portland State was predicted to finish third in the Big Sky preseason coaches poll behind Northern Colorado and Weber State, which grabbed the top two spots, respectively. In 2022, the Vikings tied for second in the regular-season conference race with an 11-5 mark en route to an 18-13 record overall, capped by an appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
PSU returns four starters for 2023, including senior outside hitter Makayla Lewis, a two first-team all-Big Sky honoree who ranked third in the conference in kills per set (3.51) and overall kills (379) last year, while junior outside hitter Sophia Meyers received second-team all-league recognition after averaging 3.07 kills per set and compiling 353 kills overall, both of which were slotted third on the squad.
In addition, the Vikings welcome back 2022 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year Madison Friebel, a setter who ranked third in the conference last season with 1,104 assists as a freshman and occupied the sixth spot with 9.36 assists per set, earning first-team all-league honors. Elsewhere, senior middle blocker Ashleigh Barto is back in the mix after averaging a career-best 1.60 kills per set (184 overall) to go with a .291 hitting percentage and a team-high 103.0 total blocks.
WELCOME BACK
Despite a 11-20 overall record, the Scarlet and Black captured seven of its last 11 matches in 2022, punctuated by an appearance in the Mountain West Championship where the sixth-seeded Aztecs upset No. 3 seed Colorado State, 3-2, in the first round before falling to second-seeded San José State in the semifinals by a 3-1 tally.
Building on that momentum, San Diego State returns 10 letterwinners from last season, including the duo of outside hitters Madison Corf and Heipua Tautau'a.
Corf made an immediate impact during her freshman campaign in 2022, earning all-Mountain West honorable mention after averaging a team-best 2.61 kills across 109 sets and ranked second on the squad with 282 kills overall. The Kansas City, Missouri, product was also slotted third on the Aztecs with double-digit kills in 11 matches while occupying the fourth position with 172 digs (1.59/set). She also contributed 25 blocks, including five solo stops, to go with 16 service aces.
In the Aztecs' aforementioned upset of Colorado State in the Mountain West tournament, Corf posted her second double-double of the year, blasting a team-high 17 kills to go with 13 digs.
Tautua'a continued to exhibit her resourcefulness last season, finishing second on the team in digs (244) while ranking third in kills (260), kills per set (2.36) and digs per set (2.22). Additionally, the Wai'anae, Hawai'i, native led SDSU with seven double-doubles (kills-digs) and was slotted fourth on the squad with 39.0 total blocks, including 13 solo stops.
The Aztecs also welcome back a pair of middle blockers in super senior Julia Haynie and junior Elly Schraeder. In 2022, Haynie ranked fifth in the Mountain West with a career-best .356 hitting percentage while finishing third on the team in total blocks (43) and sixth in kills (137, 1.59/set). The Temecula native recorded multiple blocks in 10 matches and surpassed the double-digit kill plateau on four occasions, committing one attack error or less in 15 contests.
Schraeder, meanwhile, was slotted sixth in the league with 1.09 blocks per set, compiling a team-high 118 blocks overall in her first season on The Mesa after transferring across town from the University of San Diego. The Athol, Idaho, product notched at least one block in all but two matches and recorded multiple stops in all but three contests. She also ranked second on the team among qualifiers with a .291 hitting percentage and was slotted fifth in kills (152) and sixth in kills per set (1.41).
Outside hitter Mikela Labno was the only other Aztec to average more than two kills per set in 2022 (2.15, 204 overall), appearing in 95 sets across 26 matches, including nine starts. The Hilmar, California, native surpassed the double-digit kill plateau in eight matches during her sophomore campaign in 2022, including consecutive encounters with Army (12) and UC San Diego (13) at the SDSU Invitational, helping the Scarlet and Black close out its season-opening home tournament with a pair of victories.
Middle blocker Kat Cooper looks to assume an expanded role this year after posting 81 kills (1.01/set), 35 blocks (0.44/set) and 25 digs (0.31/set) in 80 sets played across 26 matches, which featured 10 starts. During her freshman campaign, the Springdale, Ark., product finished with at least five kills in eight different contests, tying her season best with seven put-aways against both UC San Diego (.600) and San José State (.429) at home.
Setter Sarena Gonzalez is back in the mix as well after she was one of three freshmen to appear in all 31 matches for SDSU during the 2022 season when she made 11 starts. The Temecula native averaged 4.58 assists and 1.00 digs across 107 sets, ranking second on the team in total assists (490) while occupying the fifth spot in digs (107). Gonzalez amassed double-digit assist totals in 24 matches and dished out 20 or more helpers on nine occasions, including four straight appearances from Aug. 27-Sept. 3.
Defensively, the Aztecs are hoping for the healthy return of libero McKenna Douglas, who played in just 10 matches during an injury-shortened freshman campaign. The Phoenix, Arizona, product finished second on the team with an average of 3.03 digs in 37 sets played. She also dished out 38 assists (1.03/set) and served up 12 aces (0.32), which ranked fifth and seventh on the squad, respectively. Douglas set an SDSU season-high with 26 digs in a 3-1 home triumph over Nevada, which was tied for the second-best total in a four-set Mountain West match during the 2022 campaign.
Rounding out the list of Aztec veterans are juniors Reagan Merk and Jordyn Goldsmith, along with redshirt freshman Cara Braun.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The prospects for the San Diego State volleyball program continue to improve after head coach Brent Hilliard retooled the Aztec roster with another solid newcomer class for the 2022 campaign.
SDSU's early signing class last November featured three prep stars in opposite hitter Natalie Hughes (McKinney, Texas), setter Fatimah Hall (Long Beach, Calif.) and middle blocker/outside hitter Campbell Hague (Cheney, Kan.).
During spring and summer, the Aztecs added a pair of Division I transfers in opposite hitter Taylor Underwood (DePaul) and defensive specialist Bailey Darnell (UC Irvine) while signing another prep standout in middle blocker Amber Keen (Reno, Nev.).
Underwood garnered Big East all-freshman accolades in her lone season at DePaul last year after ranking third on the Blue Demons with 264 kills (2.47/set) while occupying the sixth spot with 36 blocks (0.34/set). The Norco, California, native also contributed 78 digs (0.73/set) and nine services aces (0.08/set). Additionally, she surpassed the double-digit kill plateau on 13 occasions, launching a career-high 18 put-aways (.351) at Seton Hall.
Hughes, meanwhile, lifted McKinney (Texas) North High to its second straight Class 5A Region II quarterfinal playoff berth in 2022 after a finals appearance in 2020. During her senior campaign, she led the Bulldogs in kills (473), kills per set (4.4), hitting percentage (.316), total blocks (83), and blocks per set (0.8), according to MaxPreps, finishing her prep career with over 1,100 put-aways while setting an all-time school record with 353 total blocks.
Hall was also a highly prized recruit out of Lakewood High, compiling over 800 assists and 200 digs as a senior, helping her squad secure berths in the prestigious CIF Southern Section Division I championships and CIF State Open Division playoffs, as the Lancers finished with a No. 8 state ranking in the Open Division. For her efforts, the Long Beach product earned first-team all-CIF Southern Section Division I honors and was named co-MVP in the Moore League. Hall was part of a Lakewood High program that compiled a 54-14 record over the past two seasons, highlighted by a pair of conference championships with a 24-0 mark in league play during which her squad dropped just one set.
Like Hall, Hague brings a winning pedigree with her to The Mesa after helping Cheney (Kan.) High to a combined 106-14 record over three seasons, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the 2021 Kansas State High School Activities Association (KHSAA) Class 3A Championships during her junior campaign. As a senior, she collected Most Valuable Player honors from the Central Plains League after leading the Cardinals in numerous categories, including kills (338), kills per set (3.60), hitting percentage (.270), service aces (42), total blocks (73) and blocks per set (0.8), according to MaxPreps.
Keen has also witnessed success at the prep level after propelling Reno High to the 2022 Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) Class 5A North Regional championship and a runner-up finish in the state tournament. Prior to last season, she was nominated for Senior Player of the Year by VBRecruiter.com.
Darnell will bring additional veteran leadership to the SDSU back row this year after competing for three seasons at UC Irvine where she compiled 269 digs, 36 setting assists, 13 services aces and seven kills in 181 sets across 59 matches. She enjoyed her best season in 2021, averaging 2.11 digs per set (114 overall) with 19 setting assists and five services aces.
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
In a vote of the league's 11 head coaches, San Diego State was pegged for a fourth-place finish in the 2023 Mountain West preseason coaches poll released on August 16. The Aztecs received 64 points to tie New Mexico for that position while trailing defending MW tournament champion Utah State (92 pts, 5 first-place votes), 2022 regular-season standard bearer UNLV (92 pts, 3 first-place votes) and Colorado State (86 pts, 3 first-place votes) for the top three spots, respectively.
In the 24-year history of the Mountain West, SDSU has finished first (2012), second (2002, 2011), fourth (2000, 2001, 2003, 2013, 2017), fifth (2005, 2015, 2019), sixth (1999, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2022), seventh (2008), eighth (2007, 2018, 2020), and ninth (2021) in the final league standings.
2023 Mountain West Preseason poll
Rk. Team (1st-place votes), Pts.
1. Utah State (5) - 92
UNLV (3) - 92
3. Colorado State (3) - 86
4. San Diego State - 64
New Mexico - 64
6. Boise State - 59
7. Air Force - 38
8. San José State - 35
9. Nevada - 32
10. Wyoming - 28
11. Fresno State – 15
TWO AZTECS WIN GOLD MEDALS FOR MW SQUAD IN EUROPE
The San Diego State volleyball program was represented on the Mountain West touring squad that captured the gold medal at the 2023 Global Challenge, held July 13-23 in Europe.
Middle blocker Julia Haynie was the lone Aztec player named to the league's traveling team, while Melanie Greene served as co-head coach of the MW delegation that featured 12 student-athletes from eight conference institutions.
San Diego State's participation in the 2023 Global Challenge was supported by the SDSU Athletics Women's Fund.
The Mountain West touring squad spent the first four days of its excursion (July 13-16) in Maribor, Slovenia, for training and friendly competition against various club and national teams before traveling to Pula, Croatia, for the opening ceremony.
After four days of competition (July 18-21), the triumphant MW all-star team enjoyed a spectacular day of sightseeing in Venice, Italy (July 22), followed by a return flight to the United States.
ON THE HORIZON
Following the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown, the Aztecs return home to host the SDSU Invitational, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, on Aztec Court at Peterson Gym. San Diego State will square off against Oregon (6:30 p.m.), Pepperdine (6:30 p.m.) and UC Santa Barbara (3:30 pm) on successive days next weekend. Tickets may be purchased online at GoAztecs.com.
Aztecs Open 2023 Season at Portland State Tourney
