Aztecs Set for Quarterfinal Showdown vs. Fresno State at MW Tourney

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State volleyball team has its sights set on postseason glory this week when it opens the Mountain West Championship with a quarterfinal match against Fresno State on Wednesday, Nov. 27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Aztecs-Bulldogs clash is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. PT, with links to live stats and streaming video via the Mountain West Network available on GoAztecs.com. Fans can also watch the action on their smartphones or TVs by downloading the MW app from the iOS App Store or Google Play.

SDSU secured the fifth seed in the conference tournament after posting consecutive home sweeps last week against New Mexico (25-17, 25-18, 25-17) and Air Force (25-19, 25-21, 25-22).

If the Aztecs defeat Fresno State, they will face No. 1 seed Colorado State in the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. PT. The Rams earned a bye in the quarterfinals by virtue of their MW regular-season championship.

Second-seeded San José State received the conference’s second bye and will await the victor of the other quarterfinal showdown between sixth-seeded Boise State and No. 3 seed Utah State.

The two semifinal winners will battle for the MW Championship and the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 30, starting at 2 p.m. PT.

QUICK HITS
>    The Aztecs’ 19 victories thus far represent their highest win-total since the 2012 squad went 23-8.
>    Following San Diego State’s unblemished 2-0 homestand vs. New Mexico and Air Force, libero Gianna Bender garnered Mountain West Freshman of the Week accolades for the third time this season on Nov. 25.
>    The league revealed its postseason awards the following day, as Shea Rubright received MW Newcomer of the Year recognition and joined Taylor Underwood on the all-conference team, while Jasmine Davis earned all-MW honorable mention.
>    For the season, Rubright has recorded a league-best .452 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the nation as of Nov. 26. 
>    San Diego State has posted more kills than the opposition in all but four matches this year (19-5) and has registered a greater hitting percentage on 21 occasions (18-3). By comparison, the Aztecs recorded a higher efficiency in 11 matches for the entire 2023 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 20 matches (16-4) 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 16-0 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 13-2 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 7-1 in matches following a loss thus far and 11-8 in contests following a victory.

SDSU IN THE MW CHAMPIONSHIP
>    The 2024 campaign marks the Aztecs’ second trip to the MW Championship since the tournament was reinstated in its current format following the 2021 fall season. 
>    SDSU owns a 6-11 record in 11 previous MW Championship appearances. The league’s postseason tournament was held on an annual basis from 1999-2007 before returning for one season in 2011 after a three-year absence.
>    The Aztecs are 6-5 in MW first-round matchups. In 2022, sixth-seeded San Diego State upset No. 3 seed Colorado in a five-set thriller (23-25, 25-19, 26-28, 25-20, 15-12) in its last opening-round clash at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado.
>    Since Fresno State joined the Mountain West prior to the 2012-13 academic year, the Aztecs and Bulldogs have not played each other in MW Championship action.
>    However, San Diego State defeated Fresno State in the lone postseason meeting between the two programs in the first round of the 1997 Western Athletic Conference tournament in Las Vegas, where the Aztecs completed a 3-0 sweep (15-12, 16-14, 15-10) during the sideout scoring era.
>    The SDSU volleyball program traveled to Las Vegas for the MW tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007, posting a combined 2-2 record, with both losses occurring in the second round to Colorado State.

SERIES RECORD VS. FRESNO STATE/LAST MEETING
>    The Aztecs leads the all-time series against the 36-20 in 56 varsity meetings dating back to 1976. 
>    SDSU and Fresno State split two encounters during the regular season, with each side winning on its home floor.
>    Since the fall of 2021, five of the Aztecs’ last eight matches against the Bulldogs have gone to five sets, including SDSU’s 3-2 triumph in San Diego on Nov. 7 (25-16, 22-25, 25-18, 20-25, 15-10).
>    In that contest, the Aztecs displayed a balanced attack featuring 12 kills each by Kat Cooper and Jasmine Davis, while Taylor Underwood (11), Natalie Hughes (11) and Talea Mitchell (10) also reached double figures. 
>    Although the two sides combined for 29 service errors, including 16 by Fresno State, SDSU owned the statistical advantage in kills (64-49) to help key its victory. Additionally, the Aztecs limited the Bulldogs to a .188 clip while maintaining a slight edge in team blocks (13.0 to 11.0), including four assisted rejections by Mitchell and Shea Rubright, while Hughes also helped on three stops. 

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
>    Entering the conference tournament, Shea Rubright owns a league-best .452 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the nation as of Nov. 26. 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 sixth in the league in blocks (1.15/set). 
>    Gianna Bender is holding on to the seventh position in digs (3.60/set), while setter Sarena Gonzalez (5.41/set) occupies the eighth spot in assists.
>    Kat Cooper also finds herself among the MW leaders, ranking ninth with a .337 hitting percentage..
>    Despite missing two matches in mid-November, Taylor Underwood tops the squad with 3.53 points and 3.17 kills per set, which rank 10th in the conference.
>    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 third spot with 11 blocks vs. UNLV.
>    The Aztecs boast four of the top 10 hitting performances in the Mountain West, 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 12th-best total in the Mountain West this season.
>    As a team, the Aztecs rank second in the Mountain West kills (13.36/set), assists (12.56/set) and hitting percentage (.260). In addition, the Scarlet and Black is slotted fourth in digs (13.83/set) while occupying the sixth position in both blocks (2.36/set) and service aces (1.44/set).
>    On the national level, SDSU ranks 35th in hitting percentage, 53rd in assists, and 61st in kills.
>    San Diego State’s 77 kills and 73 assists at New Mexico mark the best team performances in the MW thus far. In addition, the Aztecs have logged 70 put-aways vs. Utah State, 69 at Boise State, and 68 vs. both CSUN and Eastern Washington which rank sixth eighth, and 10th, respectively. 
>    Additionally, the Aztecs’ season-high 17 team blocks against UNLV are tied for the seventh-best total in the conference so far this year.

TOURNAMENT CONNECTIONS
>    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.
>    Colorado State defensive specialist Jordan Tynsky and SDSU right-side hitter Natalie Hughes also battled one another as prep players in Texas during the 2022 campaign. Tynksy’s Denton Guyer High School team posted a 3-1 triumph over Hughes’ McKinney North squad in the second match of the season. Hughes, who was entering her senior campaign, finished with 14 kills, hitting .393 for the match with a solo block, while Tynsky, then a junior, compiled 17 digs and served up one ace, according to MaxPreps.
>    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.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
>    Fresno State (16-13, 12-6 MW) had its three-match winning streak snapped in a three-set defeat at Boise State on Nov. 23 (17-25, 25-27, 11-25). With the loss, the Bulldogs slipped to the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament and fell to 7-10 on the year in road/neutral matches. Conversely, Fresno State maintained a 9-3 ledger at home this season. The Bulldogs placed four players on the all-Mountain West team, including the duo of opposite hitter Addison Haluska and outside hitter Ella Rud,along with setter Brooke Cowie and  defensive specialist Dionii Fraga. Entering the week, Haluska (3.71/set) and Rud  (3.66/set) rank fifth and sixth in the conference in kills, respectively, while middle blocker Kasey Purry occupies the seventh spot in blocks (1.13/set) and the eighth position in hitting percentage (.337). Not to be outdone, Cowie and Fraga also find themselves among the MW leaders, finishing the regular season second in assists (9.86/set) and fourth in digs (3.92/set), respectively. As a team, Fresno State ranks third in the MW in service aces (1.69/set) and ranks in digs (14.00/set) while occupying the fifth position in hitting percentage (.217). However, the Bulldogs are slotted just eighth in kills (12.34/set), blocks (2.18/set) and opponent efficiency (.227). 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.