SAN DIEGO – After playing six straight matches away from its home floor, the San Diego State volleyball team returns to the friendly environs of Aztec Court at Peterson Gym on Saturday, Sept. 23, for a Mountain West clash against San José State, starting at 1 p.m. PT.
In addition to live stats, the Aztecs-Spartans showdown will air live on the Mountain West Network, with links to both platforms available on GoAztecs.com. Saturday's contest has also been designated Kids Club Day, with all Kids Club members receiving a free T-shirt.
SDSU (5-7, 0-1 MW) is coming off a hard-fought 3-2 loss at UNLV in the conference opener for both teams on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. Despite squandering a 2-0 lead in sets, the Aztecs found themselves in prime position to withstand the turning tide after building an 11-8 lead in the decisive fifth frame. However, the Rebels derailed those plans with a 7-2 closing run to steal the victory.
Madison Corf led the Scarlet and Black with a season-high 17 kills and hit .448 for the match, committing just four errors in 29 attempts, while Julia Haynie and Mikela Labno contributed nine put-aways each.
After hitting a crisp .406 over the first two sets combined, the Aztecs were plagued by inconsistency over the final three frames, mustering a .078 efficiency in that stretch, including a minus-.173 attack percentage in the fourth set (6-11-29), which allowed UNLV to even the set scoreboard.
Entering the weekend, Haynie ranks third in the Mountain West with a .410 hitting percentage. The SDSU super senior has knocked down 66 kills on 122 attempts this season with just 16 errors.
In addition, the Aztecs boast two players among the conference top 10 in services aces, including Taylor Underwood (0.43/set), who occupies the third spot, followed by Tautua'a (0.36/set), who ranks 10th.
Likewise, libero McKenna Douglas (3.38 digs/set) and setter Sarena Gonzalez (5.64 assists/set) are slotted 10th in the MW in their respective statistical categories.
Collectively, the Aztecs have moved into the league's third spot this week in service aces (1.63/set). while occupying the fourth position in kills (12.95/set) and assists (11.98/sets), as well as the fifth slot in hitting percentage (.218). On the national level, SDSU ranks 98th in both kills and assists per set.
The Aztecs' total of 50 team kills at UCSD are tied for second-highest total in the conference thus far for a three-set match. Likewise, SDSU's 48 overall assists in that same contest are also tied for the second-best total for a three-set match.
For the season, SDSU is 2-4 in matches following a loss.
Underwood, Douglas and setter Fatimah Hall are the only Aztecs to play all 40 sets this season, while Corf and Heipua Tautua'a have missed just one set apiece.
Like SDSU, San José State (9-5, 0-1 MW) lost to UNLV in its conference opener on Thursday night, dropping a narrow three-set decision (25-27, 23-25, 25-27) in Las Vegas.
The Spartans were led by Letizia Cammillucci, who launched 13 kills, while fellow outside hitter Nayeli Ti'a recorded nine put-aways of her own to go with nine digs, two aces and five total blocks, including a solo stop.
In all, SJSU amassed 13 team blocks vs. the Rebels, surpassing the double-digit plateau in that statistic for the third consecutive match and fifth time this season. Mari Lawton led the Spartans with six block assists, while fellow middle Jiana Lawson added five rejections, including a solo stuff.
Entering Saturday's match, Lawson leads the Mountain West with 1.42 blocks per set (74 overall), which ranks 17th in the nation, while occupying the eighth position in the conference with a .356 hitting percentage.
Despite sitting out Thursday's match at UNLV, outside hitter Blaire Fleming still ranks fourth in the MW with 3.86 kills per set, while libero Alessia Buffagni (3.83 digs/set) and setter Brooke Slusser (6.48 assists/set) find themselves among the league leaders, occupying the sixth and eighth spots in their respective statistical categories.
As a team, the Spartans find themselves among the top half of the Mountain West in several categories, ranking second in assists (12.29/set), third in kills (13.44/set) and fifth in digs (14.00/set). Additionally, SJSU is slotted third in the conference with 124.0 team blocks, which is good for 17th nationally.
San José State is under the guidance of first-year head coach Todd Kress, who arrived in Silicon Valley after two stints at Fairfield University in Connecticut, where he led the Stags to five NCAA Tournament appearances. A nine-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Coach of the Year honoree, Kress currently ranks 24th among active NCAA Division I volleyball head coaches with 526 victories.
SDSU leads the all-time series vs. the Spartans 23-17 in 40 varsity meetings since 1977. The Aztecs sport a 12-6 record against SJSU in San Diego, an 8-10 mark in San Jose and a 3-1 ledger on a neutral floor.
Since San José State joined the Mountain West in 2013, SDSU is 8-10 against the Spartans, including a 4-4 mark in San Diego.
SJSU has captured five of the last six meetings against the Aztecs, including a 3-1 decision (25-17, 17-25, 25-19, 27-25) in the semifinals of the 2022 Mountain West Championships in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Despite committing four fewer attack errors (22-18) and holding a slight edge in hitting percentage (.227 to .226), SDSU found itself trailing in kills (52-48), service aces (11-5) and team blocks (8.0 to 6.0) in the last encounter between the two squads.
Among Aztec returners, Madison Corf (.438) blasted nine kills in that contest before exiting with an injury in the third set, while Heipua Tautua'a flashed her versatility with eight put-aways,10 digs and a career-high three solo blocks. Additionally, Elly Schraeder got into the act with seven kills a pair of block assists, while Sarena Gonzalez dished out 16 setting assists.
Facing a 13-4 deficit in the fourth set, SDSU crafted an improbable rally to climb back into contention. However, the Aztecs still trailed 20-17 following a Spartan kill. SDSU quickly responded with two Tautua'a non-returnables, while SJSU committed an attack error to tie the score. Kills by Julia Haynie and Schraeder followed by a wayward Spartan swing got the Scarlet and Black to set point at 24-23, but the Aztecs could not capitalize.
Moments later, SJSU fashioned a 4-1 surge to sink San Diego State's title hopes, posting two kills and one block while benefitting from a bad set.
The previous week, the Aztecs clinched a spot in the conference tournament with a 3-1 victory over the Spartans in San Jose (25-23, 25-20, 22-25, 26-24), handing SJSU its lone home loss in 10 matches during the 2022 regular season.
San Diego State and San José State have faced one common opponent during the 2023 non-conference slate, with each side posting a victory over Big West member Cal State Fullerton. The Aztecs recorded a 3-1 triumph over the Titans in their season-opener on Aug. 25 at the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown in Portland, Oregon, while the Spartans replicated the feat on Sept. 2 in the final of the Sacramento State Hornet Invitational.
San José State sports two players who prepped at San Diego County high schools in middle blockers Yazmin Pitpit and Jade Middleton. Pitpit graduated from Scripps Ranch High, while Middleton attended San Marcos High.
The Spartans were predicted to finish eighth in the 2023 Mountain West preseason coaches poll with 35 points, trailing the Aztecs, who were picked fourth after receiving 64 points along with New Mexico.
Following Saturday's skirmish, San Diego State hits the road once again for a pair of matches on the Front Range of the Rockies next week, squaring off against Colorado State on Thursday, Sept. 28, before heading north to battle Wyoming on Saturday, Sept. 30. Both contests are slated for a 7 p.m. MT start (6 p.m. PT) and will air on the Mountain West Network.
Aztecs Return Home for Saturday Showdown vs. SJSU
