Aztecs Set for Key MW Road Swing This Week

SAN DIEGO -- Following a brief two-match homestand, San Diego State hits the road this week for a pair of Mountain West showdowns, squaring off against San José State and Fresno State.

The Aztecs will battle the Spartans on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. PT, before engaging the Bulldogs on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 11 a.m.

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.

QUICK HITS
> San Diego State split its first two conference home matches last week, suffering its second straight five-set defeat in a loss to Utah State (25-21, 25-23, 25-27, 18-25, 13-15) before rebounding with a 3-0 whitewash of Nevada (25-22, 25-20, 25-15).

> Taylor Underwood led the team with 27 kills (3.38/set), tying her season best with 18 put-aways against USU.

> In addition, the Aztecs received 21 kills from Talea Mitchell (2.63/set), including a match-high 10 non-returnables vs. Nevada, while Shea Rubright hit .414 for the homestand, blasting 15 kills (1.88/set) to go with six blocks and five service aces.

> Not to be outdone, Jasmine Davis surpassed the 1,000-kill plateau for her career (1,009) after flooring 17 shots last weekend.

> Despite the split, SDSU has still matched its best start to a season since 2007, logging a 10-4 record through 14 contests.

> For the season, Rubright owns a league-leading .498 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the nation as of Oct. 9.

> San Diego State has posted more kills than the opposition in all but one match this year (10-3) and has registered a greater hitting percentage on 12 occasions (10-2). 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 11 matches (8-3) already this season after leading in blocks just once for the entire 2023 campaign.

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

SERIES RECORD VS. SAN JOSÉ STATE
> SDSU leads the all-time series vs. the Spartans 24-18 in 42 varsity meetings since 1977.

> The Aztecs sport a 13-6 record against SJSU in San Diego, an 8-11 mark in San Jose and a 3-1 ledger on a neutral floor.

> SDSU dropped a tough four-set decision on the road to the Spartans (15-25, 25-22, 25-27, 22-25) the last time the teams met in the penultimate match of the 2023 campaign.

> Among returners, the Aztecs received double-digit put-aways from Madison Corf (13), Taylor Underwood (12) but could not overcome a season-high 18 service errors despite owning a 46-44 edge in team kills and a 9-6 spread in service aces.

> Elsewhere, Corf and Amber Keen totaled three blocks each, while Fatimah Hall (17 assists) and Sarena Gonzalez (13 assists) shared the setting responsibilities.

> With a potential fifth set on the horizon, the Scarlet and Black enjoyed a trio of five-point leads in the fourth stanza, including a 20-15 bulge following an errant Spartan attack. However, SJSU crafted an improbable 10-2 run to extinguish San Diego State’s comeback hopes.

SERIES RECORD VS. FRESNO STATE
> Despite falling short in both encounters with the Bulldogs last season, San Diego State still leads the all-time varsity series 35-19 dating back to 1976.

> In their last visit to the Central Valley in 2023, the Aztecs were edged in a 3-2 nail-biter (25-23, 12-25, 25-19, 26-28, 9-15), as Fresno State captured the final two sets to escape with the victory.

> SDSU owned the statistical advantage in kills (60-52) and digs (63-55) but committed 10 more attack errors (29-19) to finish with a .200 hitting percentage, while the Bulldogs registered a .236 efficiency and maintained the edge in team blocks (13.0 to 9.0) and service aces (9-2).

> Individually, Underwood led all players with 21 put-aways, while Cara Braun turned in a clutch performance with a career-high 14 non-returnables, hitting .346 for the day.

> In the decisive fifth set, SDSU built a pair of early three-point leads, including a 5-2 advantage, before Fresno State crafted a 5-0 run to vault in front for good at 7-5.

MATCH CONNECTIONS
> SDSU setter Fatimah Hall and San José State middle blocker Jade Epps both attended Lakewood High School. Hall graduated in 2023, while Epps is a 2024 alumna.

> SJSU senior defensive specialist Chandler Manusky, a transfer from the College of Charleston, lists San Diego as her hometown, although she graduated in 2021 from Briar Wood High School in Ashburn, Virginia.

> Fresno State opposite hitter Addison Haluska and SDSU outside hitter Talea Mitchell competed against one another as prep players in Arizona during the 2021 campaign. Mitchell’s Millennium High team posted a 3-0 home sweep of Haluska’s Campo Verde High squad in the season opener. Mitchell, who was entering her sophomore campaign, posted five kills, three blocks and one dig, while Haluska, then a senior, totaled 11 kills, six digs and two blocks, according to MaxPreps.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> Entering the weekend, Shea Rubright leads the Mountain West with a .498 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the nation as of Oct. 9. The Aztec middle blocker is also slotted eighth in the league in blocks (1.10/set).

> Additionally, Kat Cooper has climbed into the seventh position in the conference with a .368 hitting percentage.

> Elsewhere, Taylor Underwood tops the squad with 3.66 points and 3.28 kills per set, both of which rank ninth in the conference, while Gianna Bender also occupies the ninth spot in digs (3.30/set).

> Not to be outdone, the setting duo of Sarena Gonzalez (6.35/set) and Fatimah Hall (5.48/set) find themselves among the MW leaders in assists, ranking seventh  and ninth, respectively.

> 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 fifth 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 14th.

> As a team, the Aztecs lead the Mountain West in hitting percentage (.280), kills (13.72/set) and assists (12.95/set) while ranking third in service aces (1.48/set). Additionally, the Scarlet and Black has climbed into the fifth spot in blocks (2.28) and the sixth position in digs (13.24/set).

> On the national level, SDSU is slotted 17th in hitting percentage, 18th in assists, and 25th 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 fifth.

> 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).

DAVIS REACHES CAREER MILESTONE
> Outside hitter Jasmine Davis combined for 17 put-aways in a pair of matches against Utah State and Nevada last weekend, giving her 1,009 kills for her career after spending her first four collegiate seasons at UConn (2019-22).

> The SDSU graduate senior also needs just 77 digs to reach 1,000 for her career in that statistic.

> Entering the weekend, Davis ranks third on the team in kills (2.67/sets) and digs (2.33/set) while occupying the fourth spot with 12 service aces.

MIDDLES HEATING UP
> Along with Shea Rubright's performances, fellow middle blocker Kat Cooper has ramped up her production of late, ranking second on the team with a .368 hitting percentage, including a .422 clip to start conference play.

> Over the past four matches, the Aztec junior has blasted 24 kills with only five errors on 45 swings while contributing 15 block assists.

> In addition, sophomore Campbell Hague came off the bench last weekend to record a .480 hitting percentage in two matches, launching 14 kills against two errors in 25 swings. She also tied Cooper and  Rubright for the team lead with six total blocks, including two solo stops.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Picked to finish ninth in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll, San José State is currently slotted second in the conference with a 4-1 record and a 9-1 mark overall. The Spartans suffered their first loss of the season in a 3-0 whitewash at MW leader Colorado State on Oct. 3 (18-25, 20-25, 20-25). The Spartans and Aztecs faced one common opponent during their respective non-conference schedules, with each side posting a sweep of California Baptist. SJSU accomplished the feat at the Hawkeye Invitational in Coralville, Iowa, on Sept. 8, while San Diego State recorded its whitewash at the Lancers’ home tournament the following weekend on Sept. 14. The Spartans have played just two home matches this season, recording consecutive sweeps vs. San Francisco (Sept. 19) and Saint Mary’s (Sept. 21). Individually, SJSU is paced by the duo of outside hitters Nayeli Ti’a (4.22 kills/set) and Blaire Fleming (3.80 kills/set), who are slotted second and fourth in the MW, respectively. Middle blocker Emma Testi also finds herself among the conference leaders, ranking fourth in both blocks (1.26/set) and service aces while occupying the eighth spot in hitting percentage (.352). In addition, setter Brooke Slusser has displayed her versatility, ranking third in the league with a .430 hitting percentage to go with a fourth-place standing in assists (9.20/set). Not to be outdone, Ti’a has contributed to the Spartans’ defensive efforts with a team-high 3.09 digs per set. Collectively, SJSU leads the MW in blocks (2.91/set) while ranking second in kills (13.69/set) and assists (12.29). Additionally, the Spartans are slotted third in digs (15.06/set) and hitting percentage (.255) while limiting opponents to a league-worst .127 efficiency. San José State is under the direction of second-year head coach Todd Kress, who arrived in Silicon Valley in 2023 after two stints at Fairfield University in Connecticut, where he led the Stags to five NCAA Tournament appearances. A 1992 graduate from Cincinnati, Kress is a nine-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Coach of the Year honoree.

> After winning the Mountain West tournament last year, Fresno State has stumbled out of the gates in 2024, posting a 6-9 overall record and a 2-2 mark in conference play. Previously, the Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in the MW preseason coaches poll. Prior to Saturday’s clash with the Aztecs, Fresno State will play host to UNLV on Thursday night. The Bulldogs split two road matches last weekend, escaping with a 3-2 thriller at Wyoming (25-18, 25-19, 22-25, 23-25, 16-14) before suffering a four-set defeat at Colorado State (16-25, 25-20, 11-25, 23-25). Despite the split, middle blocker Kasey Purry earned MW Defensive Player of the Week honors after combining for 11 blocks (1.22/set), including four solo rejections. Individually, Fresno State is led by the duo of outside hitter Ella Rud (3.97 kills/set) and opposite hitter Addison Haluska (3.10 kills/set), who rank third and 10th in the conference heading into the weekend. In addition, defensive specialist Dionii Fraga (3.95 digs/set) and setter Brooke Cowie (9.83 assists/set) are slotted second in their respective categories, while Purry occupies the 10th position in blocks (1.05/set).  As a team, the Bulldogs are slotted fourth in the MW this week in digs 13.70/set), sixth in blocks (2.21/set) and seventh in hitting percentage (.210) but rank just ninth in kills (12.13/set), assists (11.17/set) and opponent efficiency (.224). Fresno State is guided by second-year head coach Leisa Rosen, who spent the previous 24 seasons as an assistant at Michigan, including 22 years as associate head coach. During her tenure on the Ann Arbor campus, Rosen coached 12 All-Americans and helped coach the Wolverines to postseason play on 19 occasions. In that stretch, Michigan amassed 468 victories, including 66 wins over top-25 opponents, and was ranked or received votes in the AVCA Top 25 poll in each of her final 14 seasons.

ON THE HORIZON
> Following this week’s road trip, San Diego State will return to the friendly environs of Aztec Court at Peterson Gym to open a three-match homestand, facing Colorado State (Oct. 17), Wyoming (Oct. 19) and UNLV (Oct. 22) in a six-day span. For ticket information, log on to GoAztecs.com.