SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State closes out the non-conference portion of its 2023 regular-season schedule this weekend when it returns to the Pacific Northwest for the Gonzaga Tournament, Sept. 15-16, in Spokane, Washington. The Aztecs open the three-team event at Charlotte Y. Martin Centre on Friday when they battle the host Bulldogs, starting at 6 p.m. PT.
On Saturday, the Aztecs will conclude their brief visit with a clash against Eastern Washington, beginning at 11 a.m. PT.
Live stats will be available throughout the tournament, while Friday's encounter with the Bulldogs will air live on ESPN+ via subscription basis. Links to both platforms will be available on GoAztecs.com. Below is the complete event schedule.
Thursday, Sept. 14
Gonzaga at Eastern Washington, 6 p.m. PT
Friday, Sept. 15
San Diego State at Gonzaga, 6 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
Saturday, Sept. 16
San Diego State vs. Eastern Washington, 11 a.m. PT
Eastern Washington at Gonzaga, 6 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
SERIES RECORD VS. GONZAGA
> The Aztecs own a 2-1 advantage in their brief series with the Bulldogs, including a five-set nail-biter in their last meeting at the 2017 Denver Invitational.
> In that match, SDSU maintained the statistical advantage in most categories, including attack percentage (.227-.153), kills (61-54), digs (62-52) and total blocks (11.0-7.0). After racing to a 2-0 in sets, however, the Aztecs hit a collective .019 over the third and fourth frames, allowing Gonzaga to climb back into contention.
> Undaunted, the Scarlet and Black found its offensive rhythm in the decisive fifth set, blasting 10 kills with just four errors on 25 attempts (.280) while limiting the opposition to just four kills with four errors on 21 swings (.000). The Aztecs trailed 4-3 in the final frame before seizing momentum with a 12-6 closing run.
> Prior to that meeting in the Mile High City, SDSU split two other encounters, both on the Zags' home floor. In 1993, the Aztecs rallied from a 2-1 deficit in sets to escape with a 3-2 decision, while GU prevailed in four sets at the Gonzaga Invitational in 2008.
SERIES RECORD VS. EASTERN WASHINGTON
> The Aztecs have captured all three meetings vs. the Eagles, including a four-set triumph (25-16, 22-25, 28-26, 25-21) in 2019 at the GCU Invitational in Phoenix, Arizona.
> In that contest, SDSU survived a pivotal third set that featured 21 ties and nine lead changes before engineering a timely 10-4 run late in the fourth frame to secure the victory.
> The two sides committed 24 attack errors apiece, but the Aztecs still finished with a higher hitting percentage (.224 to .151) after maintaining a 60-47 advantage in kills. SDSU also held the statistical edge in assists (53-44), digs (71-59) and total blocks (11.0-8.0).
> Prior to the 2019 match, the Aztecs registered a trio of wins over the Eastern Washington in the 2015 Outrigger Resorts Challenge at Hawai'i (3-0), the 1986 Fullerton Classic (2-0) and the1984 Loyola Marymount Invitational (3-0).
> The Aztecs are 19-8 all-time vs. the current alignment of the Big Sky Conference.
> SDSU has faced one other Big Sky opponent this season, dropping a three-set decision at Portland State on Aug. 27.
SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> As of Sept. 13, middle blocker Julia Haynie ranks fourth in the Mountain West with a .398 hitting percentage. The Aztec super senior has knocked down 43 kills on 38 attempts this season with just 10 errors.
> In addition, setter Sarena Gonzalez has climbed into ninth spot in assists (6.12/set), while outside hitter Madison Corf (2.93 kills/set) and libero McKenna Douglas (3.52 digs/set) are slotted 10th in their respective statistical categories.
> Sophomore opposite hitter Taylor Underwood served up a career-best five aces in a sweep of Denver on Sept. 8, which tied for the Mountain West's second-highest total this season.
> Additionally, Corf's collegiate-best four aces vs. Pepperdine on Sept. 1 is also tied for the league's fourth-highest figure this year. She also owns the MW's eighth-best hitting percentage this year at .565 after knocking down 14 kills on 23 attempts with just one error at UC San Diego on Sept. 7.
> Corf's 14 put-aways against the Tritons are tied for the sixth-highest total in a three-set match this year.
> Freshman setter Fatimah Hall shares the Mountain West's third-highest assist total for a four-set match this year after dishing out 47 helpers in SDSU's season-opening victory over Cal State Fullerton on Aug. 25.
> Douglas' 21 digs vs. CSUF is also tied for the sixth-best figure in the conference for a four-set match this season.
> Collectively, the Aztecs have climbed into the fourth spot in kills this week (13.00/set) while ranking fifth in hitting percentage (.206) and eighth in service aces (1.52/set).
> San Diego State's total of 50 team kills at UCSD are tied for second-highest total in the conference thus far for a three-set match. Likewise, the Aztecs' 48 overall assists are also tied for the second-best total for a three-set contest.
> Additionally, SDSU is tied for the fifth-best figure in four-set match with 150 attack attempts vs. Cal State Fullerton, while its 14.5 team blocks in that match against the Titans is tied for 10th.
AZTEC TIDBITS
> Opposite hitter Taylor Underwood, libero McKenna Douglas and setter Fatimah Hall are the only Aztecs to play all 29 sets this season, while outside hitters Madison Corf and Heipua Tautua'a have missed just one set apiece.
> Tautua'a notched her 12th career double-double in SDSU's season-opening victory over Cal State Fullerton with 10 kills and 13 digs.
> Outside hitter Campbell Hague leads the SDSU freshman class with 12 kills, including six put-aways against No. 6 Oregon on Aug. 31, when she did not commit an error in 13 attempts for a .462 efficiency.
> Middle blocker Amber Keen, another freshman, made her Aztec debut in the third set against UCSB and recorded her first career kill.
> The Aztecs' 14.5 team blocks in that triumph over the Titans marked the squad's highest total since the 2021 spring campaign when the Scarlet and Black registered 15.0 rejections in a 3-2 upset at Boise State.
> San Diego State is the lone team in the Mountain West not to have played a five-set match this season. The Aztecs are 2-5 in three-set contests and 1-1 in four-setters.
> SDSU has won two of its three matches this season when played on a Friday.
> The Aztecs' clash against Navy on Sept. 9 marked the 150th match of Brent Hilliard's head coaching career.
ALL-TOURNAMENT AZTECS - UCSD INVITE
> San Diego State's Taylor Underwood and Heipua Tautua'a were both named to the all-tournament team this past weekend at the UC San Diego Invitational after helping the Aztecs to a 2-1 record.
> Underwood led all SDSU players with 31 points, blasting a combined 26 kills (2.89/set) to go with five aces, five digs and one block assist while hitting .286 in three matches. In the Aztecs' sweep of Denver on Sept. 8, the sophomore opposite hitter set a career best with five service aces and tied for match-high honors with nine kills, including four put-aways in both the second and third sets. She also contributed a season-best five digs, as the Scarlet and Black improved to 3-2 in five all-time meetings vs. the Pioneers.
> In the Aztecs' narrow three-set loss to Navy the following day, Underwood launched a match-high 11 kills (3.66/set), committing just three errors in 27 attempts for a .296 efficiency while adding one block assist. In the tournament opener against host UCSD on Sept. 7, the Norco, California, native hit at a .333 clip, knocking down six kills against one miscue in 15 swings, helping SDSU to a 3-0 triumph and raise its record to 15-0 all-time against the Tritons.
> Meanwhile, Tautua'a totaled 20 kills (2.22/set) and 19 digs (2.11/set) at the tournament while serving up five aces of her own to go with one block assist. In the Aztecs' sweep of UCSD, the senior outside hitter finished second on the team with 13 kills and hit .333 for the match while adding three digs and a pair of aces. With the Tritons closing the gap in set three looking to extend the match, she blasted a late kill and combined with Julia Haynie on a block for the clinching point to complete the sweep.
> Tautua'a followed with three kills and two more aces in the Aztecs' whitewash of Denver, serving up both winners in a 4-0 closing run that secure the second set. The Wai'ane, Hawai'i, product followed with four additional put-aways against Navy and a setting assist while tying for match-high honors with nine digs.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Gonzaga (3-5) split two matches at the Idaho State Tournament last weekend, falling to Utah Valley in four sets (25-10, 24-26, 23-25, 17-25) before rebounding with a 3-0 sweep of the host Bengals (22-25, 21-25, 22-25). In the finale against ISU, Zoe Thiros launched a match-high 18 kills and hit .333, narrowly missing a double-double after posting eight digs, while fellow outside hitter Tyra Schaub also reached double figures with 10 put-aways of her own. In addition to facing the Aztecs on Friday, the Bulldogs will twice battle local adversary Eastern Washington, traveling to the Eagles' home court on Thursday evening before playing host to the rematch on Saturday. Gonzaga was picked to finish eighth in the West Coast Conference preseason coaches poll after logging a 6-23 record and a ninth-place mark of 2-16 in 2022. The Bulldogs have squared off against one other Mountain West member this year, dropping a tough five-set decision to Air Force in its first home tournament on Sept. 1. The following day, Gonzaga faced another common opponent on SDSU's schedule, falling in four sets to UC San Diego on Sept. 2. Entering the weekend, Thiros ranks fifth in the WCC in kills (3.15/set, 82 overall), while outside hitter Autumn Larson (2.42/set, 63 overall) and opposite Juliette Russell (2.21/set, 64 overall) are also averaging over two put-aways per set. In addition, the Bulldogs have received a boost from setter Nia Damuni, who is slotted fourth in the league with 9.14 assists per set (265 overall), while libero Viktoriya Ivanova occupies the fifth position with 3.79 digs per frame (110 overall). At the net, outside hitter Fallon Thompson (25 blocks, 0.86/set) and middle blocker (18 blocks, 0.75/set) own the top two spots on the Gonzaga roster in blocks, while Thiros has served up a team-high 12 aces, with her 0.46 average ranking fourth in the league. Collectively, the Bulldogs are slotted second and third in the WCC, respectively, in service aces (2.10/set) and blocks (2.16/set) but rank just eighth out of nine teams in kills (11.34/set) and hitting percentage (.169). Gonzaga is led by second-year head coach Katie Wilson, who has compiled a 9-28 record overall. Prior to her arrival on the Spokane campus, Wilson spent seven seasons as an assistant at Notre Dame, including a four-year stint as the Irish's associate head coach. Under Wilson's tutelage, the Bulldogs set a single-season program record with 179 aces during the 2022 campaign. She earned her bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Puget Sound in 1999.
> Eastern Washington (4-5) went 2-1 at the University of Portland lnvitational last weekend in Portland, Oregon, recording a pair of grueling five-set victories over CSUN and the host Pilots, sandwiched around a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Mountain West member Wyoming. In the finale against Portland, outside hitters Sage Brustad (15 kills, 9 digs) and Kalista Lukovich (11 kills, 8 digs) narrowly missed double-doubles, helping the Eagles erase a 2-1 deficit in sets. EWU was picked to finish eighth out of 10 teams in the 2023 Big Sky Conference preseason coaches poll after posting an 11-18 overall record and a seventh-place mark of 6-10 in league play last year. Entering the weekend, Brustad leads the Big Sky in service aces (0.63/set, 22 overall) and is slotted second in kills (3.74/set, 131 overall), which rank 22nd and 79th in the nation, respectively, as of Sept. 13. In addition, Lukovich (2.68, 91 overall) is averaging over two kills per set, followed closely by middle blocker Bri Gunderson (1.82/set, 62 overall), who is tied for eighth in the conference in blocks (1.00/set, 34 overall). Elsewhere, setter Katie Hatch finds herself among the Big Sky leaders in two categories, ranking fifth in assists (8.20/set, 287 overall) and eighth in service aces (0.43/set, 15 overall), while libero Makenna Collins is also slotted eighth in digs (3.57/set, 125 overall). As a team, EWU leads the league in service aces (2.03/set), which ranks 34th nationally, while occupying the fourth position in the Big Sky in blocks (2.09/set). However, the Eagles rank just sixth in hitting percentage (.207) and seventh in both kills (11.54/set) and digs (13.57/set). Jon Haruguchi is in his second season as head coach of the Eastern Washington program after spending the previous six years as an assistant at Northern Colorado, where he was promoted to associate head coach in December 2019. While at UNC, he helped guide the Bears to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2019 and 2021, winning Big Sky regular-season and tournament championships both seasons.
ON THE HORIZON
> Following the Gonzaga Tournament, San Diego State opens Mountain West play on Tuesday, Sept. 19, when it travels to the Silver State to face UNLV, starting at 6 p.m. PT. The Aztecs will conduct their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 23, playing host to San José State at 1 p.m. PT. Both matches will air live on the Mountain West Network.
Aztecs Hit the Road for Gonzaga Tournament
