Aztecs Return Home to Face Utah State, Nevada

SAN DIEGO – After a six-match road swing over the last three weeks, San Diego State opens the home portion of its Mountain West schedule when Utah State and Nevada invade Aztec Court at Peterson Gym this weekend.

The Aztecs (9-3, 1-1 MW) will face the Aggies (3-10, 0-2 MW) on Thursday, Oct. 3, at 6 p.m. PT, before entertaining the Wolf Pack (8-6, 1-1 MW) on Saturday, Oct. 5, at noon.

Along with live stats, both matches will air live on the Mountain West Network with links available on GoAztecs.com. Fans can also catch the live action on their smartphones or TVs by downloading the MW app.

SDSU will celebrate Breast Awareness Month with its Dig Pink Match on Thursday vs. Utah State, giving away free pink caps to the first 250 patrons.

In addition, free Aztec pennants will be distributed to the first 250 spectators prior to Saturday’s clash with Nevada.

QUICK HITS
> San Diego State split two matches on the road last weekend to open Mountain West play, dispatching Air Force in four sets (16-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-13) before dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker at New Mexico (22-25, 25-27, 26-24, 25-21, 14-16).

> Jasmine Davis led the team with 32 kills (3.56/set) and hit .397 for the weekend, featuring a season-high 20 put-aways against UNM.

> In addition, the Aztecs received 29 kills from Taylor Underwood (3.22/set), while Shea Rubright continued her hot hitting with a .563 efficiency in two matches, blasting 19 kills (2.11/set) to go with 13 blocks (1.44/set).

> Despite the split, SDSU has still equaled its best start to a season since 2001, logging a 9-3 record through 12 matches.

> For the season, Rubright owns a league-leading .510 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the nation as of Oct. 2.

> San Diego State has posted more kills than the opposition in all 12 matches this year and has logged a greater hitting percentage on 11 occasions. In 2023, the Aztecs recorded a higher efficiency in 11 matches for the entire season, finishing with an 8-3 ledger in that category.

> Additionally, SDSU has displayed tremendous improvement at the net, collecting more blocks than opponents in nine matches (7-2) already this season after leading in blocks just once for the entire 2023 campaign.

SERIES RECORD VS. UTAH STATE
> Despite losing five straight to the Aggies, the Aztecs still lead the all-time series 18-12, including a 12-3 mark in San Diego.

> SDSU dropped a tough four-set decision on the road to Utah State in the lone meeting between the two squads last year ((26-24, 19-25, 24-26, 27-29).

> In that match, the Aztecs and Aggies combined for a whopping 43 ties and 20 lead changes in the see-saw battle, as the teams finished with nearly identical statistics. Despite trailing in hitting percentage (.219 to .217) and digs (61-54), USU maintained a slim advantage in kills (60-59), team blocks (12.0 to 11.0) and service aces (9-4) to hang on for the victory.

> SDSU logged its best attack percentage of the contest with a .444 efficiency in a wild fourth set, knocking down 18 kills against just two errors in 36 attempts. However, the Aggies countered with a .341 clip, blasting 22 put-aways against seven miscues in 44 swings to help keep the Scarlet and Black at bay.

> The teams traded punches in a final frame that witnessed 15 ties and seven lead changes alone, with the Aztecs fighting valiantly to extend the match after overcoming a 14-8 deficit. SDSU forged a trio of late one-point leads but could not build on its good fortune. Following Mikela Labno’s solo block which gave the visitors a 25-24 edge, the Aztecs were unable to regain the upper hand. The two sides alternated points on the ensuing five serves before a Utah State kill abruptly ended the affair.

SERIES RECORD VS. NEVADA
> After splitting two meetings during the 2023 campaign, the Aztecs own a 16-7 advantage in the all-time series with the Wolf Pack dating back to 2011. SDSU sports an 11-2 record against Nevada in San Diego and a 5-5 ledger in Reno.

> The Aztecs posted a narrow 3-0 sweep in their last encounter with the Wolf Pack in Peterson Gym on Nov. 2, 2023 (25-22, 25-23, 25-22).

> In a match characterized as a defensive struggle, SDSU maintained a decisive edge in kills (41-27) and held a slight edge in service aces (6-5) against Nevada, as each side posted 23 attack errors, 46 digs and eight team blocks apiece. Additionally, the Aztecs survived nine service errors, compared to four for the Wolf Pack, to hold on for the victory.

> Among returners, Taylor Underwood led all players with 12 kills, while Madison Corf finished with eight put-aways of her own. In addition, the setting responsibilities were shared by Fatimah Hall (19 assists) and Sarena Gonzalez (12 assists).

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> Entering the weekend, Shea Rubright leads the Mountain West with a .510 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the nation as of Oct. 2. The Aztec middle blocker is also slotted fifth in the league in blocks (1.16/set) .

> Additionally, Taylor Underwood tops the squad with 3.73 points and 3.26 kills per set, which rank eighth and ninth in the conference, respectively, while Gianna Bender also occupies the ninth spot in digs (3.33/set).

> Elsewhere, the setting trio of Sarena Gonzalez (6.47/set), Fatimah Hall (5.50/set) and Andrea Campos (5.42/set) find themselves among the MW leaders in assists, ranking seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively, while Kat Cooper has climbed into the ninth position in hitting percentage (.364).

> Gonzalez has logged the league’s highest assist total in a single match this season, dishing out 60 helpers against Eastern Washington.

> The Aztecs boast four of the top 10 hitting performances in the Mountain West thus far, including Talea Mitchell’s third-best .696 clip vs. Seattle, while Rubright’s two percentages from the SDSU Invitational (.667 vs. Tulane) and (.640 vs. Portland State) rank fourth (tie) and seventh, respectively. In addition, the Aztec graduate senior finished with a .611 efficiency at New Mexico, which is slotted 10th.

> Three Aztecs share the fourth spot in the conference with four services aces in a match, including Rubright (vs. Seattle), Jasmine Davis (vs. UC Riverside) and Keira Herron (at Gonzaga).

> Elsewhere, Mitchell’s 16 kills against Seattle represents the sixth-best total for a three-set match in the MW this season, while Rubright finished with a season-high eight blocks assists against UCR, which is tied for 12th.

> As a team, the Aztecs lead the Mountain West in hitting percentage (.282) and assists (13.10/set) while ranking second in kills (13.88/set) and third in service aces (1.52/set). Additionally, the Scarlet and Black has climbed into the fifth spot in both blocks (2.33/set) and digs (13.52/set).

> On the national level, SDSU is slotted 15th in assists, 19th in hitting percentage and 21st in kills.

> San Diego State’s 77 kills at New Mexico marks the best team performance in the MW thus far, while its 68 put-aways against CSUN is tied for fourth.

> Additionally, three of the Aztecs’ best attack percentages rank among the league’s top 10, including .366 vs. Seattle (6th), .352 vs. CBU (8th) and .348 against Portland State (10th).

MATCH CONNECTIONS
> Aztec setter Sarena Gonzalez was a prep teammate of Nevada outside hitter Gabby McLaughlin at Temecula Valley High School, where both players graduated in 2022.

> In addition, Wolf Pack setter Tehya Maeva graduated in 2023 from Cathedral Catholic High in San Diego.

> SDSU middle blocker Amber Keen hails from Reno, Nevada, where she was a prep teammate of Wolf Pack libero Lara Pacheco and setter Sierra Bernard at Reno High School.

> Nevada middle blocker McKenna Dressel and SDSU libero McKenna Douglas competed against one another as prep seniors in 2021 in Arizona. Douglas’ Notre Dame Prep squad defeated Dressel’s Perry High team in two sets at the Chandler Invitational. Douglas totaled 11 digs in that match, while Dressel posted one kill and one block assist, according to MaxPreps.

> Similarly, Aztec outside hitter Talea Mitchell and Wolf Pack libero Kinsley Singleton squared off on the Arizona prep scene as well during the 2023 campaign. Mitchell’s Millennium High team recorded a two-set sweep over Singleton’s O’Connor High squad at the Millennium Rise ‘N Roar Classic. Mitchell finished with three kills, two aces and a block assists in that victory, while Singleton totaled one kill, four digs and eight aces, according to MaxPreps.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Picked to finish second the Mountain West preseason coaches poll, Utah State has stumbled out of the gates in 2024, posting a 3-10 overall record and an 0-2 mark to start conference play. The Aggies dropped a pair of five-set decisions at home last weekend to Colorado State (15-25, 25-22, 18-25, 27-25, 12-15) and Wyoming (27-25, 20-25, 25-22, 23-25, 12-15). USU is 3-5 in road/neutral matches this year but has come up empty on its home floor (0-5). The Aggies have lost three matches to ranked opponents this season, suffering consecutive sweeps at the hands of No. 8 Purdue (home - Sept. 7) and No. 23 USC (road - Sept. 12) before falling at No. 19 Brigham Young (Sept. 18). Junior Adna Mehmedovic leads USU with 2.71 kills per set, followed by freshman Loryn Helgesen, who is averaging 2.39 put-aways per frame. Kelsey Watson, a senior transfer from Loyola Chicago, finds herself among the Mountain West leaders, ranking sixth with 1.16 blocks per set, while freshman Jagoda Bialek anchors the Aggie back row with 2.56 digs per set. Elsewhere, freshmen Kaylie Kofe (5.16 assists/set), sophomore Olivia Tukuafu (3.92 assists/set) and freshman Kate Lijic (3.64/set) have seen action at the setter position. As a team, USU ranks sixth in the MW in service aces (1.40/set) but is slotted 10th in kills (11.35/set), assists (10.76/set) and hitting percentage (.154) while occupying the basement in digs (11.02/set). The Aggies are under the direction of fifth-year head coach Rob Neilson, who arrived on the Logan campus after serving as the lead assistant coach for the U.S. men’s national team from 2017-19. Prior to his stint with Team USA, Neilson spent 10 years on the Brigham Young men’s volleyball coaching staff, including the final two as the program’s associate head coach in 2014-15. He played collegiately at BYU from 2003-06, starting at setter during the 2005 and 2006 campaigns.

> Nevada snapped a three-match skid on Sept. 26 with a 3-2 victory over Wyoming in its conference opener (25-22, 20-25, 25-16, 22-25, 16-14) before dropping a four-set decision to Colorado State two days later (18-25, 25-21, 19-25, 14-25). Last weekend’s encounters marked the Wolf Pack’s first two home matches of the season after posting a 7-5 record in road/neutral contests during their non-conference slate.  Prior to Saturday’s clash at SDSU, Nevada will battle UNLV in Las Vegas. The Aztecs and Wolf Pack have faced five common opponents during the  their during their respective early season tournament schedules. Nevada completed an unblemished mark against Portland State, Seattle, CSUN, California Baptist and UC Riverside, while SDSU recorded a 4-1 ledger against those foes, dropping a five-set nail-biter to CSUN. Offensively, the Wolf Pack are paced by junior Gabby McLaughlin, who ranks fourth in the MW with 3.75 kills per set, while senior Carissa Chainey (2.75) and junior Bella Snyder (2.58) are also averaging over two put-aways per frame. Snyder is also slotted seventh in the league with a .369 hitting percentage and is tied for ninth in service aces (0.33/set) while leading the team with 48 total blocks (0.84/set). In addition, freshman Kinsley Singleton finds herself among the Mountain West leaders, ranking third in digs (4.05/set), while setter Tehya Maeva is slotted fifth in assists (8.07/set).  Collectively, Nevada occupies the fourth position in the league in service aces (1.49/set) but is slotted eighth in kills (12.40/set) and hitting percentage (.195) while ranking ninth in opponent efficiency (.225). Head coach Shannon Wycokoff-McNeal is in her first season at the helm of the Wolf Pack program after spending the past 12 years on the staff at her alma mater Washington State, where she helped the Cougars secure eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. As a player at WSU, Wyckoff-McNeal became the first Cougar player to reach 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career, while her 3.24 digs per set still ranks fifth on the school’s all-time charts.

ON THE HORIZON
> Following this week’s homestand, the Aztecs will remain in the Golden State for a pair road matches, traveling to the Bay Area for a clash with San José State on Thursday, Oct. 10, before heading over to the Central Valley to battle Fresno State on Saturday, Oct. 12.