Gianna Bender Tabbed MW Freshman of the Week; Three Aztecs Named to All-Tourney Team

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State volleyball player Gianna Bender was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week after helping the Aztecs to a 2-0 record at the Gonzaga Invitational, Sept. 20-21, in Spokane, Washington. The announcement was made Monday by the league office in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

With her award, Bender garnered her first career MW weekly accolade and SDSU’s first of the season.

A former AVCA High School All-American from Hudsonville, Michigan, Bender led the team with 37 digs and 3.70 digs per set in a pair of thrilling victories over Gonzaga and Eastern Washington, anchoring an Aztec defense that held their two opponents to a combined .188 hitting percentage for the weekend.

Against the host Zags, Bender topped the squad with a career-high 20 digs (4.00/set), as the Scarlet and Black prevailed in five sets. Thanks to her contributions, SDSU limited Gonzaga to a .154 efficiency for the match, including a .043 clip in the decisive fifth set.

In addition, Bender gave the Aztecs an important boost with eight setting assists last Friday, including three in the pivotal fifth stanza.

Bender returned the following day to post a match-high 17 digs against Eastern Washington, dishing out four additional setting assists to help San Diego State emerge victorious in another five-set nail-biter.

With Bender’s support, the Aztecs limited the Eagles to a .202 hitting percentage, including a .077 pace in the deciding fifth set. The SDSU libero also served up an ace during a 3-0 spurt in the final frame, which broke a 5-5 deadlock that gave the Scarlet and Black a lead it would not relinquish. Additionally, Bender did not commit a reception error in 15 attempts vs. EWU.

For the season, Bender leads the Aztecs with 3.35 digs per set (134 overall), which ranks eighth in the Mountain West. She also occupies the fourth spot on the squad with nine service aces (0.23/set).

Following this past weekend’s matches, San Diego State also boasted three players who were selected to the Gonzaga Invitational all-tournament team in Taylor Underwood, Shea Rubright and Jasmine Davis.

Underwood led the field with 35 kills, 3.50 kills per set and 40.5 points, hitting a combined .286 for the weekend. The Aztec opposite hitter led all players with 17 kills against Gonzaga and displayed her versatility with four block assists to tie a career high.

Underwood continued her hot hitting the next day with 18 kills vs. Eastern Washington to tie for team-high honors and match her season best. The Norco, California, native posted a .300 hitting percentage or better for the fourth time this year with a .342 clip vs. the Eagles and set a season high with three service aces.

Underwood blasted a clutch kill in the fifth set during a 7-2 run that broke a 5-5 tie and put the Aztecs in front for good. She additionally served up an ace in that decisive stretch.

For the season, Underwood occupies the seventh spot in the Mountain West in both kills (3.27/set) and points (3.73/set) while ranking third on the team among qualifiers with a .274 hitting percentage.

Elsewhere, Rubright maintained her stellar all-round play this past weekend, totaling a team-high 10 blocks (1.00/set) while hitting .480 for the tournament with 14 kills to go with four aces. The SDSU middle blocker posted a match-high six blocks against Gonzaga, including three solo stuffs, which tied a career best. Her final solo block occurred at a critical juncture in the fifth set, giving the Aztecs a 13-11 lead after they trailed earlier 9-5.

Against EWU, Rubright tied for team-high with four additional blocks, including a solo rejection. The Aztec graduate student assisted on one block in the fifth and deciding set, giving SDSU some early momentum with a 3-1 lead.

Through 10 matches, Rubright finds herself among the MW leaders with a conference-best .500 hitting percentage, which ranks fourth in the nation as of Sept. 23, while occupying the seventh position in the league with 1.10 blocks per set.

Not to be outdone, Davis ranked second on the Aztecs at the Gonzaga Invitational with 29 kills, 2.90 kills per set and 31.5 points. The SDSU outside hitter posted her second-best hitting percentage of the year with a .370 clip in Friday’s triumph over the Zags, knocking down 11 kills while collecting 16 digs for her second double-double in a Scarlet and Black uniform.

In the deciding fifth set, Davis provided two kills during a furious 10-3 run that erased a 9-5 deficit, allowing the Aztecs to avoid the upset.

The following day against EWU, Davis finished with a season-best 18 kills to go with one ace and a block assists. The UConn graduate transfer launched five kills in both the second and third stanzas, helping SDSU overcome an early 1-0 deficit in sets.

For the season, Davis ranks third on the squad with 2.52 kills per set and 10 service aces while occupying the second position with 2.80 digs per frame. She is also slotted fourth in the MW with 0.40 aces per set.

Off to its best start since 2007, San Diego State (8-2) opens Mountain West play on the road next week when it travels to the Front Range of the Rockies to face the Air Force Falcons on Thursday, Sept. 26 (6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT) before heading to New Mexico for a date with the Lobos on Saturday, Sept. 28 (1 p.m. MT/noon PT).

-SDSU-