Volleyball

Aztecs Gear Up For Road Matches at Nevada, Utah State

The San Diego State volleyball team makes its final road trip of the regular season this weekend when it takes on Nevada (Nov. 14) and Utah State (Nov. 16) in a pair of pivotal Mountain West matches.

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Aztecs Gear Up For Road Matches at Nevada, Utah StateAztecs Gear Up For Road Matches at Nevada, Utah State
Derrick Tuskan/SDSU Athletics

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team makes its final road trip of the regular season this weekend when it takes on Nevada and Utah State in a pair of pivotal Mountain West matches. The Aztecs (17-7, 9-5 MW) will face the Wolf Pack (11-14, 4-10 MW) in Reno, Nevada, on Thursday, Nov. 14, before continuing east to Logan, Utah, to battle the Aggies (12-12, 9-5 MW) on Saturday, Nov. 16.

Both matches are slated for a 6 p.m. PT start and 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.

Entering the weekend, SDSU finds itself in a three-way tie for third place in the Mountain West standings with a 9-5 record in conference play, joining Fresno State and Utah State, as the top six teams qualify for the MW Championship, slated for Nov. 27-30, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

QUICK HITS
> San Diego State completed an unblemished homestand last week, outlasting Fresno State in five sets (25-16,22-25,25-18,20-25,15-10) before recording a four-set triumph over San José State (25-18,25-22,23-25,25-19).

> Last Saturdays’ victory gave the Aztecs their first two-match season sweep of the Spartans since the 2014 campaign and raised their home record to 8-2 on the year. In addition, SDSU improved to 17-7 overall, matching its best start since the 2012 season.

> Individually, the Aztecs were led by Taylor Underwood, who blasted 25 kills and hit .390 for the weekend, committing just two errors in 59 attempts. She also contributed seven blocks, including a career-high three solo rejections vs. Fresno State.

> San Diego State has posted more kills than the opposition in all but two matches this year (17-5) and has registered a greater hitting percentage on 19 occasions (16-3). 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 17 matches (14-3) already this season after leading in blocks just once for the entire 2023 campaign.

> The Aztecs have already played over three times as many five-set matches this season (5-5) compared to last year (0-3).

> SDSU is 14-0 this season when holding opponents to a hitting percentage below .200. The Aztecs have allowed just two foes to hit over .300 in a match this year: Tulane (.311, Sept. 7) and Colorado State (.304, Nov. 2).

> San Diego State is a combined 11-0 this season when one or two players surpass the double-digit kill plateau but is just 6-6 when three or more competitors post 10 or more put-aways in a match.

> The Aztecs are 6-0 in matches following a loss thus far and 10-6 in contests following a victory.

> For the season, Rubright has recorded a league-best .456 hitting percentage, which ranks third in the nation as of Nov. 13.

SERIES RECORD VS. NEVADA
> The Aztecs own a 17-7 advantage in the all-time series with the Wolf Pack dating back to 2011. SDSU sports a 12-2 record against Nevada in San Diego and a 5-5 ledger in Reno.

> The Aztecs completed a home sweep of the Wolf Pack (25-22, 25-20, 25-15) in the last meeting between the two squads on Oct. 5.

> SDSU limited Nevada to a paltry .105 hitting percentage for the afternoon, including a minus-.115 clip in the third set, when the visitors mustered just six kills against nine errors in 26 attempts.

> On the flip side, the Aztecs finished with a .292 efficiency, owning a sizable 40-28 advantage kills while maintaining a slight edge in digs (32-29), service aces (6-5) and team blocks (6.0 to 5.0) to help key their victory.

> Individually, Talea Mitchell led all players with 10 kills, while Taylor Underwood finished with nine put-aways of her own. In addition, the Scarlet and Black received a spark off the bench from Campbell Hague, who smashed seven kills without an error for a .636 hitting percentage while contributing a career-high four block assists.

SERIES RECORD VS. UTAH STATE
> Despite losing six straight to the Aggies, the Aztecs still lead the all-time series 18-13, including a 12-4 mark in San Diego and a 6-9 record in road/neutral contests.

> Against USU on Oct. 3, SDSU suffered a tough 3-2 setback (25-21, 25-23, 25-27, 18-25, 13-15), unable to rally from early deficits of 8-2 and 11-2 in the third and fourth sets, respectively.

> After hitting a combined .333 in the first two sets, the Aztecs were limited to a .210 efficiency over the final three stanzas, allowing the Aggies to remain in contention and complete the comeback.

> For the first time this season, SDSU racked up fewer kills than the opposition, as Utah State held a 70-62 advantage in that category while maintaining the statistical advantage in hitting percentage (.261 to .255), service aces (8-5) and digs (66-60).

> Individually, the Aztecs were paced by Taylor Underwood, who tied her season-best with 18 kills, while Jasmine Davis (13) and Talea Mitchell (11) also broke the double-digit barrier in put-aways.

> USU raced to a 6-3 lead in the deciding fifth set, but San Diego State responded with five straight points to vault in front by an 8-6 margin. The Scarlet and Black benefited from a wayward serve and an unforced attack error, while Davis followed with a kill and solo block, before Campbell Hague capped the run with a solo rejection of her own.

> However, the Aztecs were unable to build on their momentum, as the Aggies forged a timely 8-4 blitz to take the lead for good at 14-12. Mitchell’s kill trimmed the margin to one before USU dropped a shot along the far sideline that stayed in bounds and abruptly ended the marathon contest.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> Entering the weekend, Shea Rubright owns a league-best .456 hitting percentage, which ranks third in the nation as of Nov. 13. With her performances, the Aztec middle blocker is on pace to shatter the program’s single-season record of .410 set by Jennifer Hamilton in 1995 (min. 200 att.). In addition, Rubright is slotted 10th in the league in blocks (1.11/set).

> Gianna Bender has climbed into the sixth position in digs (3.70/set), while setters Sarena Gonzalez (5.64/set) and Fatimah Hall (5.30/set) find themselves among the MW leaders in assists, occupying the eighth and 10th spots, respectively

> Elsewhere, Taylor Underwood tops the squad with 3.46 points and 3.11 kills per set, which rank ninth and 10th in the conference, respectively.

> Gonzalez has logged the league’s highest assist total in a single match this season, dishing out 60 helpers against Eastern Washington, while Rubright is tied for the top spot with 11 blocks vs. UNLV.

> 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) are tied for fourth and ninth, respectively. Not to be outdone, Cooper finds herself in the mix as well, ranking eighth with a .647 efficiency against Fresno State. 

> Elsewhere, Mitchell’s 24 kills vs. Colorado State are tied for the 11th-best total in the Mountain West this season.

> As a team, the Aztecs rank second in the Mountain West kills (13.43/set), assists (12.59/set) and hitting percentage (.262). In addition, the Scarlet and Black is slotted fourth in digs (14.10/set) while occupying the sixth position in blocks (2.30/set) and the eighth spot in service aces (1.40/set).

> On the national level, SDSU ranks 29th in hitting percentage, 47th in assists, and 53rd in kills.

> San Diego State’s 77 kills and 73 assists at New Mexico mark the best team performances in the MW thus far, while its 70-kill effort vs. Utah State is tied for fifth.

> Additionally, the Aztecs’ season-high 17 team blocks against UNLV are tied for the sixth-best total in the conference so far this year.

MATCH CONNECTIONS
> San Diego State middle blocker Amber Keen is a graduate of Reno High School where she helped her squad capture the 2022 Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) Class 5A North Regional championship and a runner-up finish in the state tournament as a senior.

> 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.

> 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 assist in that victory, while Singleton totaled one kill, four digs and eight aces, according to MaxPreps.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Nevada (11-14, 4-10 MW) dropped a pair of four-set road matches last week, falling at New Mexico (27-25, 20-25, 12-25, 22-25) before suffering its sixth straight defeat at Air Force (23-25, 22-25, 25-17, 22-25). The Wolf Pack have not tasted victory since a winning a five-set thriller over Utah State at home on Oct. 15. Nevada has played just six homes matches this season, posting a 4-2 record at Virginia Street Gym while compiling a 7-12 ledger in road/neutral contests. Offensively, the Wolf Pack are paced by junior Gabby McLaughlin, who ranks second in the MW with 3.89 kills per set, while senior Carissa Chainey (2.52) and junior Bella Snyder (2.37) are also averaging over two put-aways per frame. Additionally, Snyder leads the team with 80 total blocks and a .323 hitting percentage while sharing the top spot with 26 service aces. In addition, setter Tehya Maeva finds herself among the Mountain West leaders, ranking fourth in assists (7.96/set), while freshman Kinsley Singleton is slotted seventh in digs (4.05/set). Collectively, Nevada occupies the fifth position in the league in service aces (1.47/set) but ranks ninth in kills (12.38/set), hitting percentage (.187) and digs (12.99/set) while ranking 10th in opponent efficiency (.240). 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.

Utah State (12-12, 9-5 MW) finds itself in a three-way tie for the third in the Mountain West standings after splitting a pair of matches at Air Force and New Mexico last week. The Aggies dispatched the Falcons in four sets at the Academy (26-24, 25-14, 20-25, 25-19) before dropping a  hard-fought 3-2 decision to the Lobos in Albuquerque (25-18,20-25,25-18,24-26,11-15). As a result, USU moves to 7-7 in road/neutral matches while maintaining a similar 5-5 mark at home. 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). Prior to Saturday’s clash with the Aztecs in Logan, USU will play host to UNLV on Thursday night. Junior Adna Mehmedovic leads the Aggies with 2.84 kills per set, while the freshman trio of Mara Štiglic (2.74), Loryn Helgesen (2.30) and Andrea Simovski (2.23) are also averaging over two put-aways per frame. Transfers Tierney Barlow (Wyoming) and Kelsey Watson (Loyola Chicago) finds themselves among the Mountain West leaders. Barlow ranks fifth with a .365 hitting percentage, while Watson is slotted ninth with 1.14 blocks per set. Elsewhere, freshman Kaylie Kofe has taken over much of the Aggies’ setting responsibilities, averaging 7.80 assists per set, which ranks sixth in the conference, while sophomore Kendel Thompson anchors the USU back row with 2.43 digs per set. As a team, the Aggies rank fifth in the MW in kills (12.84/set), sixth in hitting percentage (.217) and seventh in blocks (2.21/set) while occupying the basement in digs (12.13/set). Utah State is 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.

ON THE HORIZON
San Diego State closes out its 2024 home schedule next week when it plays host to New Mexico (Nov. 21) and Air Force (Nov. 23). Prior to their finale vs. the Falcons, the Aztecs will conduct a special Senior Day ceremony.