SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team will wrap up its 2023 campaign this week when its splits a pair of Mountain West matches between the road and home, traveling north to the Bay Area for clash with San José State before returning to The Mesa for a showdown with UNLV.
The Aztecs will battle the Spartans in Silicon Valley on Thursday, Nov. 16, starting at 6 p.m. PT, before hosting the Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 18, beginning at 1 p.m.
In addition to live stats, both contests will be streamed live via the Mountain West Network, with links to both platforms available on GoAztecs.com. Fans can also watch the live action on their smartphones or TVs by downloading the MW app.
Prior to the SDSU-UNLV encounter, the Aztecs will recognize their senior class with a special ceremony, celebrating the accomplishments of Bailey Darnell, Jordyn Goldsmith, Julia Haynie, Reagan Merk, Elly Schraeder and Heipua Tautua'a. In addition, the first 250 spectators will receive a free SDSU clear tote bag.
The Aztecs dropped a pair of home matches by narrow margins last week, falling in four sets to Wyoming (25-19, 22-25, 16-25, 27-29) on Nov. 9 before coming up empty in a tough battle against Colorado State two days later (23-25, 28-30, 15-25).
With one week left in the regular season, SDSU (9-18, 4-12 MW) has lost three straight and will finish no higher than ninth in the conference standings.
UNLV (18-11, 10-7 MW) currently occupies the fifth spot, one-half match ahead of sixth-place Air Force (17-10, 9-7 MW), as the top six teams qualify for the Mountain West Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, later this month. In addition, Boise State (12-14, 8-8 MW) is slotted seventh in the MW race, while Wyoming (18-9, 7-9 MW) sits in eighth.
The Aztecs featured a balanced attack last weekend, with five players averaging over two kills per set, including Taylor Underwood (3.00), Heipua Tautua'a (2.29), Madison Corf (2.14), Julia Haynie (2.00), Mikela Labno (2.00) and Campbell Hague (2.00).
In addition, the Scarlet and Black received a team-high 29 digs from McKenna Douglas (4.14/set), while Bailey Darnell (2.14, 15 overall) and Tautua'a (2.00, 14 overall) averaged over two scoops per set as well.
SDSU also welcomed the return of Elly Schraeder (7 kills, 1.75 kills per set), who tied Haynie and Amber Keen for the team lead with five blocks over the weekend, including a pair of solo stops.
The Aztecs were unable to build on a one-set lead in their encounter with Wyoming last Thursday. After posting a stellar .415 efficiency in the opening frame with 20 kills against three errors in 41 attempts, SDSU hit just .165 over the final three sets (35-18-103), while the Cowgirls registered a .326 clip during that stretch (49-16-101).
Individually, the Aztecs were paced by Taylor Underwood and Heipua Tautua'a, who totaled 11 kills and two service aces each, while McKenna Douglas collected a match-high 17 digs.
The contest was seemingly headed towards a fifth and deciding set after an overpass landed in bounds on the Wyoming side of the court to give SDSU an apparent victory in the fourth frame at 27-25, punctuating a late surge. Following a successful challenge, however, the Cowgirls were awarded the tying point at 26-26. The teams quickly exchanged serves before Wyoming received consecutive kills to abruptly end the match.
Earlier in the set, the Aztecs fought valiantly from the depths of a 17-9 deficit, forging an impressive 17-8 run of their own to take a one-point lead at 26-25. Julia Haynie helped key the blitz with two kills and a pair of blocks, teaming with Tautua'a on one stuff while adding a solo stop. In addition, Elly Schraeder came through with a pair of solo rejections, while Madison Corf and Mikela Labno notched two put-aways apiece during that span.
On Saturday, SDSU gave Colorado State all it could handle before fading down the stretch in the third set. The teams combined for 34 ties and 10 lead changes in their matchup, as each side posted eight team blocks.
However, the Aztecs committed four more attack errors (18-14) than the Rams, who out-hit the Scarlet and Black .263 to .175 while maintaining a 10-4 advantage in service aces and a 39-36 edge in kills to hold on for the victory and complete the season sweep.
Underwood (.292) was the lone SDSU player to reach the double-digit kill plateau after blasting 10 put-aways to go with three block assists. In addition, Corf floored six shots, while Tautua'a (3 aces) and Schraeder (3 block assists) totaled five strikes apiece. The Aztecs also received a career-best five block assists from Keen, while Douglas tied for match-high honors with 12 digs.
After dropping a narrow opening set, SDSU found itself in another tight battle during a second stanza that featured 17 additional ties and five lead changes. As a team, the Aztecs blasted more kills in the set than CSU (15-11) but were saddled with more attack errors (9-4), which proved costly. SDSU was also victimized by four additional Ram aces while four of their own serves went awry.
Trailing 21-19, the Aztecs fought back to tie the score at 24-24 following a kill by Labno. Shortly thereafter, SDSU reached set point on three occasions, capped by a Tautua'a put-away, which gave the host school a precarious 28-27 advantage. However, the Rams closed with three straight tallies, featuring a pair of kills, sandwiched around an errant Aztec attack.
As of Nov. 15, McKenna Douglas is slotted second in the Mountain West with 3.84 digs per set against conference opponents, while occupying the fifth position in that category for all matches with 3.72 scoops per frame.
In addition, Taylor Underwood is slotted seventh in the MW with 3.39 kills per set against league foes and ranks ninth with 3.87 points per frame while tying for the seventh position in service aces (0.33/set) for all matches.
Elsewhere, Julia Haynie ranks seventh in the Mountain West for all matches with a .339 hitting percentage, while Fatimah Hall is slotted ninth in assists against league competition (6.14/set) and 10th in overall matches (5.91/set).
In a home clash with Air Force on Oct. 5, Underwood (.481) smashed a career-high 31 kills, which represents the second-highest figure in the Mountain West this season. Additionally, the Aztec opposite hitter set a school record for put-aways in the rally scoring era (since 2001) and logged the highest kill total by an SDSU player since Martina Vitkova-Engels (37) and Carrie Mapes (33) combined for 70 non-returnables in the Aztecs' five-set triumph over Wyoming in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference tournament during the sideout era on Nov. 25, 1997.
Not to be outdone, Underwood's career-high five aces against both Denver and Eastern Washington are tied for the sixth-best output in the conference this season, while Hall's 47 assists vs. Cal State Fullerton in the season opener are tied for the seventh-highest total in a four-set match.
Underwood, Douglas and Hall are the only Aztecs to play all 99 sets this season, while Gonzalez has missed just four sets on the year.
Collectively, San Diego State sits among the top of half the conference in two statistics for all matches this week, ranking third in assists (12.27/set) and fourth in kills (13.19/set). In addition, the Aztecs are slotted seventh in digs (12.81/set), eighth in hitting percentage (.204) and 10th in service aces (1.29/set).
SDSU's total of 77 team kills and 75 assists vs. Air Force on Oct. 5 are the highest single-match totals in the conference so far this season, while its 48 helpers and 50 put-aways at UCSD are tied for the fourth- and sixth-best figures in the league, respectively, for a three-set contest this year.
In MW matches, the Aztecs are tied for third in assists (12.27/set) while ranking fourth in digs (13.27/set), fifth in kills (13.19/set) and eighth in hitting percentage (.197).
On the national level, the Scarlet and Black occupies the 66th spot with 12.27 assists per set and the 76th position with 13.19 kills per frame as of Nov 15. In the seventh RPI ratings of the year, San Diego State ranks No. 191 in the nation, one of nine Mountain West teams in the top 200 along with Utah State (16), Colorado State (67), Air Force (107), UNLV (109), Wyoming (113), New Mexico (120), Boise State (142) and Fresno State (163).
SDSU owns a 6-11 record in matches following a loss this season. The Aztecs are also 3-6 in Thursday contests and 3-9 when playing on a Saturday this year. In addition, San Diego State is 5-7 in three-set matches, 4-8 in four-set contests and 0-3 in five-set affairs this season. The Aztecs have fared slightly better away from Peterson Gym this season, posting a combined 6-10 record (.375) in combined road/neutral matches, compared to a 3-8 mark at home (.273).
Among newcomers, freshman Campbell Hague has been vying for more playing time after knocking down 53 kills (1.47/set) in her last 11 appearances, including a season-high eight at Wyoming on Sept. 30. The Cheney, Kansas, native was also credited with three block assists in consecutive home matches vs. Nevada and Fresno State.
Another freshman Amber Keen has made her presence felt this season, posting a .387 hitting percentage in her last seven appearances (33-4-75) while contributing 17 blocks in that span.
San José State (12-18, 3-14 MW) has dropped 12 of its last 13 matches to slip into the basement of the Mountain West standings. The Spartans' lone victory in that span was a 3-2 triumph at Fresno State on Oct. 26.
Thursday's clash with the Aztecs will mark SJSU's season finale after the Spartans fell short to UNLV at home on Tuesday night (21-25, 14-25, 18-25). With the defeat, San José State drops to 4-7 in home matches this year.
SDSU leads the all-time series vs. the Spartans 24-17 in 41 varsity meetings since 1977. The Aztecs sport a 13-6 record against SJSU in San Diego, an 8-10 mark in San Jose and a 3-1 ledger on a neutral floor.
San Diego State emerged with a four-set triumph (14-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-23) in the last meeting between the two squads on Aztec Court at Peterson Gym on Sept. 23 after overcoming an early deficit.
In that contest, the Aztec attack was paced by Taylor Underwood, who hit .321 for the day, smashing 13 kills on 28 attempts with four errors, while Mikela Labno reached double figures in that category as well with 10 put-aways of her own.
Neither side hit very well, with SJSU maintaining a slight advantage in that statistical category (.194 to .180). After an opening set that witnessed the Scarlet and Black muster only eight kills against eight attack errors in 34 swings, SDSU hit .242 the rest of the way to pull out the win.
Individually, middle blocker Jiana Lawson is second in the Mountain West with 1.26 blocks per set for all matches, which ranks 38th nationally, while libero Alessia Buffagni is slotted seventh with 3.59 digs per frame.
Setter Brooke Slusser is the lone Spartan player to appear in all 111 sets this season, averaging 6.53 assists per frame, which ranks ninth in the conference. In a five-set loss to Colorado State on Nov. 2, Slusser completed a triple double-double with 10 kills, 19 assists and 16 digs.
Offensively, Blaire Fleming has returned to the lineup after an extended absence and is averaging a team-best 3.58 kills per set, followed by Letizia Cammillucci (2.63), Nayeli Ti'a (2.61) and Brooke Bryant (2.09). Cammillucci, who finished with 16 kills and 11 digs at SDSU on Sept. 23, missed the last six matches before making an appearance vs. UNLV on Tuesday.
Collectively, SJSU is slotted fifth in the MW in digs (13.47/set) but ranks just eighth in blocks (2.23/set), ninth in kills (12.29/set) and 10th in hitting percentage (.167). In addition, opponents are hitting .218 against the Spartans, which is eighth in the league.
San José State is under the direction 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 529 victories.
The Spartans have two players who prepped at San Diego County high schools on their roster in middle blockers Yazmin Pitpit and Jade Middleton. Pitpit graduated from Scripps Ranch High, while Middleton attended San Marcos High.
UNLV (18-11, 10-7 MW) has won four straight and six of its last seven after sweeping SJSU on the road Tuesday night (25-21, 25-14, 25-18). Dakota Quinlan (.600) and Jordyn Freeman (.471, 4 block assists) led the Rebels with 10 kills apiece in that contest, while Isabel Martin finished with nine put-aways of her own.
Against Colorado State on Nov. 9, Martin smashed a career-high 34 kills to tie UNLV's single-match school record en route to winning MW Offensive Player of the Week honors. Her 34 strikes mark the league's highest total in a single contest this season.
As a team, the Rebels lead the Mountain West with 1.84 aces per set and 202 overall, the latter of which ranks 13th in the country. In addition, UNLV finds itself among the top half of the conference for all matches in hitting percentage (2nd, .277), kills (2nd, 13.41/set) and assists (5th, 11.99/set).
Individually, Martin tops the squad with 4.31 kills per set, good for second in the MW and 18th nationally as of Nov. 15, while Quinlan (.396) and Freeman (.332) find themselves among the conference leaders in hitting percentage, ranking second and eighth for the season, respectively. In addition, the Rebels have received a boost from setter Arien Farfard, who occupies the seventh spot in the league with 8.02 assists per set, while Freeman is slotted ninth with 1.03 blocks per frame.
SDSU leads the all-time series vs. UNLV 29-28 since the two programs first met in 1985. However, the Rebels have captured the last three encounters, including five-set thriller in Las Vegas on Sept. 19 in the Mountain West opener for both teams (21-25, 16-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-13).
After hitting at a stellar clip of .406 over the first two sets combined, the Aztecs were dogged by inconsistency over the final three frames, posting a .078 attack percentage, including a dreadful minus-.173 efficiency in the fourth set (6-11-29), which allowed the Rebels to extend the match.
UNLV is under the guidance of first-year head coach Malia Shoji, who spent the previous eight seasons as an assistant at Utah, including the last five as associate head coach. With Shoji assistance, the Utes made six straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two Sweet 16 berths and three consecutive third-place finishes in the Pac-12 Conference.
Also on the Rebels staff is Las Vegas native and former Aztec standout Deja Harris, who competed at San Diego State from 2014-18. Harris is one of only four players in MW history with 1,250 career kills and 550 career blocks, ranking 11th all-time in conference history with 561 career blocks and 22nd with 1,306 career kills.
Aztecs Close Out 2023 Season With Two Matches
