Aztecs Prep for Tuesday Night Block Party vs. UNLV

SAN DIEGO – Winners of two straight and four of its last five, the San Diego State volleyball team wraps up its three-match homestand Oct. 22, when it squares off against UNLV in a Mountain West clash inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym. The Aztecs will battle the Rebels starting at 6 p.m. PT as part of the conference’s Tuesday Night Block Party promotion.

Along with live stats, the SDSU-UNLV showdown will air live on the Mountain West Network. Fans can also catch the live action on their TVs or smartphones by downloading the MW app.

Tuesday’s match is also designated as Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night, and the first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free Aztec license plate frame.

The Aztecs will face the Rebels just once during the regular season along with Thursday’s road opponent Boise State.

QUICK HITS
SDSU (13-5, 5-3 MW) is coming off a pair of victories over Colorado State (Oct. 17) and Wyoming (Oct. 19) to take over sole possession of fourth place in the conference standings, one match behind the Rams, who are now tied for the top spot with Fresno State at 6-2, while San José State is slotted third at 6-3.

In addition, last week’s wins marked the first time the Aztecs have defeated CSU and Wyoming in successive matches since the 2012 campaign. Saturday’s triumph was also the Scarlet and Black’s first sweep of the Cowgirls since Sept. 29, 2011.

Libero Gianna Bender totaled 35 digs (4.38/set) and contributed 11 assists (1.38/set) in those two matches to earn MW Defensive Player and Freshman of the Week honors.

Offensively, SDSU was paced by Talea Mitchell’s 30 kills (3.75/set), including a career-best 24 put-aways vs. the Rams. In addition, Taylor Underwood launched 24 non-returnables (3.00/set) and hit .404 for the week, highlighted by a match-high 14 kills and a .542 efficiency against the Cowgirls when she committed just one error in 24 attempts.

Jasmine Davis needs just 28 digs to reach 1,000 for her career in that statistic.

Brent Hilliard recorded his 100th career victory as a head coach in the Aztecs’ victory over Colorado State.

San Diego State has posted more kills than the opposition in all but one match this year (13-4) and has registered a greater hitting percentage on 15 occasions (12-3). 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 13 matches (10-3) already this season after leading in blocks just once for the entire 2023 campaign.

The Aztecs have already played more than twice as many five-set matches this season (4-4) compared to last year (0-3).

SDSU is a combined 9-0 this season when one or two players surpass the double-digit kill plateau but is just 4-5 when three or more competitors post 10 or more put-aways in a match.

The Aztecs are 4-0 thus far in matches following a loss and 8-5 in contests following a victory.

For the season, Shea Rubright owns a league-leading .467 hitting percentage, which ranks third in the nation as of Oct. 21.

SERIES RECORD VS. UNLV
The SDSU-UNLV series is tied at 29-29 since the two programs first met in 1985. However, the Rebels have captured the last four encounters, including four-set decision in San Diego in the 2023 regular-season finale (25-16, 24-26, 25-21, 29-27).

In a see-saw affair, the teams witnessed 33 ties and 15 lead changes, with both sides blasting 52 kills apiece. However, UNLV finished with a greater hitting percentage (.254 to .125), committing 12 fewer attack errors (19-31) while owning a slight 8-7 edge in service aces to complete the season sweep. 

Among returners, SDSU was paced by Taylor Underwood, who surpassed the double-digit kill plateau for the 20th time in 2023 after tying for match-high honors with 14 put-aways.

The fourth set was the most dramatic of the match, with the teams combining for 15 ties and eight lead changes. The Rebels compiled their best hitting percentage of the afternoon with a .361 clip (16-3-36), while limiting the Aztecs to a .174 efficiency (15-7-46). SDSU reached set point on four different occasions but could not extend the match. With the Aztecs leading 27-26, the Rebels countered with three straight points on a solo block and consecutive to abruptly end the match.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
Entering the week, Shea Rubright leads the Mountain West with a .467 hitting percentage, which ranks third in the nation as of Oct. 21. The Aztec middle blocker also slotted sixth in the league in service aces (0.35/set).

Additionally, Gianna Bender has climbed into the seventh position in digs (3.49/set), while Kat Cooper ranks eighth in hitting percentage (.344).

Elsewhere, Taylor Underwood tops the squad with 3.49 points and 3.14 kills per set, both of which rank 10th in the conference.

Despite sitting out the last two matches, setter Sarena Gonzalez (6.03/set) still ranks eighth in assists (6.03/set).

Gonzalez has logged the league’s highest assist total in a single match this season, dishing out 60 helpers against Eastern Washington on Sept. 21.

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.

Elsewhere, Mitchell’s 24 kills vs. Colorado State is tied for the ninth-best total in the Mountain West this season, while her 16 put-aways against Seattle represents the sixth-highest total for a three-set match.

Three Aztecs also share the 10th 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).

As a team, the Aztecs lead the Mountain West in kills (13.59/set) and assists (12.73/set) while ranking second in hitting percentage (.278). In addition, the Scarlet and Black is tied for fifth in service aces (1.47/set) while occupying the sixth spot in blocks (2.20/set) and digs (13.51/set).

On the national level, SDSU is slotted 17th in hitting percentage, 30th in assists, and 31st 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 and EWU are tied for sixth. The Aztecs also floored 67 shots last week vs. Colorado State, which is tied for the 10th-best effort.

Additionally, two of the Aztecs’ best attack percentages rank among the league’s top 10, including .366 vs. Seattle (7th) and .352 vs. California Baptist (10th).

SCOUTING THE OPPOSTION
Picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll, UNLV is tied for eighth in the conference standings with a 3-5 record against league opponents and a 10-9 mark overall. The Rebels have lost two straight after suffering home sweeps at the hands of Wyoming and Colorado State last week.  As a result, UNLV slipped to 6-4 in home matches this year while maintaining a combined 4-5 ledger in road/neutral contests.

Individually, the Rebels sport a balanced attack, with Chloe Thomas (2.49), Basia Latos (2.40), Dakota Quinlan (2.30), Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos (2.24) and Jordyn Freeman (2.02) all averaging over two kills per set.

Freeman saw her first game action in nearly a month last week, appearing in one set apiece vs. the Rams and Cowgirls. Despite the layoff, the UNLV middle blocker still leads the conference for all matches with 1.31 blocks per set while ranking fourth with a .380 hitting percentage.

In addition, fellow middle blocker Rheanna Deen-Jackson is slotted sixth in the league in blocks (1.16/set), while libero Caleigh King ranks eighth in digs (3.45/set).

Elsewhere, Arien Fafard occupies the ninth spot in the conference with 5.23 assists per set, sharing the setting chores with Olivia Mikkelsen (4.23/set).

Collectively, UNLV ranks fifth in the Mountain West in both kills (12.62/set) and hitting percentage (.220) while occupying the eighth spot in service aces (1.36/set). At the net, the Rebels are slotted third in the league in blocks (2.53/set) but are just ninth in digs (13.03/set).

UNLV is under the guidance of second-year head coach Malia Shoji, who spent the previous eight seasons as an assistant at Utah, including her final five as associate head coach. With Shoji’s 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. She was named to the Mountain West 25th Year Team in 2023.

UP NEXT
San Diego State opens the second half of its Mountain West schedule on Thursday, Oct. 24, when it travels to the Gem State to face Boise State at Bronco Gym. Match time is set for 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT.