Aztecs Open Two-Match Homestand This Week

SAN DIEGO – After splitting two road matches, San Diego State returns home this week to face Fresno State and San José State in a pair of key Mountain West encounters on Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.

The Aztecs (15-7, 7-5 MW) will square off against the Bulldogs (13-10, 9-3 MW) on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m. PT, before entertaining the Spartans (13-3, 10-3 MW) on Saturday, Nov. 9, 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.

Free tie-dyed crew socks will be presented to the first 250 fans prior to SDSU’s clash with Fresno State as part of the team’s Throwback Thursday promotion, before the Scarlet and Black celebrates Alumni Reunion Day for the San José State match by giving away free license plate frames to the first 250 spectators.

In addition, Saturday’s festivities will include a special tribute to former head coach Mark Warner, who guided the Aztecs to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (1995, 2001) during his 14-years at the helm from 1995-2008. An SDSU alumnus, Warner was a member of the Aztec men’s squad that was crowned USVBA collegiate national champions in 1968 and later worked in various stints as an assistant coach with that program prior to his elevation to head coach of the women’s team.

QUICK HITS
> San Diego State opened last weekend’s road trip with a sweep of Wyoming  (25-20, 25-17, 25-21) before suffering the opposite fate at the hands of Colorado State (25-27, 21-25, 14-25). As a result, the Aztecs currently occupy the fifth spot in the conference standings, one-half game ahead of sixth-place Boise State (15-7, 7-6 MW), as the top six teams qualify for the Mountain West Championship, Nov. 27-30, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> Last Thursday’s whitewash gave San Diego State its third straight victory in Laramie, marking its longest streak there since the Scarlet and Black won four in row from 1990-93. Additionally, the Aztecs completed their first season sweep of the Cowgirls since the 2012 campaign.

> In two matches, SDSU was led by Shea Rubright, who blasted 17 kills and hit .536 for the weekend, committing just two errors in 28 attempts. She also contributed five block assists and one service ace.

> Despite last weekend’s split, at 15-7, the Aztecs are still off to their best start since the 2012 squad also compiled a 15-7 ledger through its first 22 matches that season.

> San Diego State has posted more kills than the opposition in all but two matches this year (15-5) and has registered a greater hitting percentage on 17 occasions (14-3). 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 15 matches (12-3) 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 (4-5) compared to last year (0-3). SDSU is a combined 11-0 this season when one or two players surpass the double-digit kill plateau but is just 4-6 when three or more competitors post 10 or more put-aways in a match.

> The Aztecs are 5-0 thus far in matches following a loss and 9-6 in contests following a victory.

> For the season, Rubright owns a league-best .469 hitting percentage, which also leads the nation as of Nov. 6.

SERIES RECORD VS. FRESNO STATE
> Despite dropping the last three encounters vs. the Bulldogs, SDSU still leads the all-time series 35-20 in 55 varsity meetings dating back to 1976.

> The two teams last faced one another in Fresno on Oct. 12, when the Aztecs suffered a disappointing five-set loss (18-25, 25-21, 25-23, 21-25, 12-15). The Aztecs owned the statistical advantage in kills (64-58), hitting percentage (.255 to .211) and digs (83-63) but were unable to overcome a season-high 16 service aces by the Bulldogs, who also held a slight edge in team blocks (9.0 to 7.0) to escape with the win.

> Individually, the Aztecs received double-digit kills from five players, including Shea Rubright, who smashed 13 kills and hit .455 for the day, while Taylor Underwood (.357) launched 12 put-aways of her own, followed by Talea Mitchell (11), Campbell Hague (10) and Jasmine Davis (10).

SERIES RECORD VS. SAN JOSÉ STATE
> SDSU leads the all-time series vs. the Spartans 25-18 in 43 varsity meetings since 1977. The Aztecs sport a 13-6 record against SJSU in San Diego, a 9-11 mark in San Jose and a 3-1 ledger on a neutral floor.

> San Diego State blanked the Spartans (25-21,  25-18, 25-19) the last time the two sides squared off on Oct. 10 in Silicon Valley. The Aztecs were led by the duo of Jasmine Davis (10 kills, .500) and Kat Cooper (7 kills, .545), both of whom committed one error apiece.

> As a team, SDSU maintained the edge in kills (36-30), hitting percentage (.233 to .098), service aces (8-4) and digs (37-32) to key its victory.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> Entering the week, Shea Rubright owns a league-best .469 hitting percentage, which also leads the nation as of Nov. 6. The Aztec middle blocker also slotted 10th in the league in blocks (1.10/set).

> Additionally, Gianna Bender has climbed into the seventh position in digs (3.58/set), while setters Sarena Gonzalez (5.66/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 3.48 points and 3.15 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 three 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 eighth, respectively.

> Elsewhere, Mitchell’s 24 kills vs. Colorado State are tied for the 10th-best total in the Mountain West this season.

> Three Aztecs also share the 12th 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 assists (12.58/set) while ranking second in kills (13.47/set) and hitting percentage (.264). In addition, the Scarlet and Black is tied for fourth in digs (14.00/set) while occupying the sixth position in blocks (2.26/set) and the eighth spot in service aces (1.39/set).

> On the national level, SDSU is slotted 25th in hitting percentage, 46th in assists, and 49th 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 third. The Aztecs also recorded 68 put-aways against CSUN and EWU, which are tied for seventh.

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

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.

SETTING AN EXAMPLE
> Setter Andrea Campos, who is utilizing her final season of collegiate eligibility at San Diego State this year, recently surpassed 2,500 assists for her career after dishing out 15 helpers at Colorado State on Nov. 24.
> With her performance, the Villanova transfer has compiled 2,506 assists as a collegian, including 403 this season, which leads the team, while her average of 4.92 helpers per set ranks third behind Sarena Gonzalez (5.66/set) and Fatimah Hall (5.30/set).

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Fresno State (13-10, 9-3 MW) has won eight of its last 10 outings to take over sole possession of third place in the Mountain West standings. The Bulldogs are coming off back-to-back sweeps of New Mexico (25-23, 25-21, 25-16) and Air Force (25-21, 25-15, 25-17) at Save Mart Center to raise their record to 7-3 in home matches this year. Conversely, Fresno State owns a combined 6-7 ledger in road/neutral contests. Individually, the Bulldogs are led by the duo of outside hitter Ella Rud (3.82 kills/set) and opposite hitter Addison Haluska (3.73 kills/set), who rank third and fifth in the conference, respectively, heading into the weekend. In addition, setter Brooke Cowie (10.28 assists/set) and defensive specialist Dionii Fraga (4.09 digs/set) are slotted second and third in their respective categories, while middle blocker Kasey Purry occupies the seventh position in blocks (1.17/set). As a team, Fresno State ranks third in the MW in service aces (1.67/set) and shares the fourth spot alongside the Aztecs in digs (14.00/set) while ranking fifth in hitting percentage (.217). However, the Bulldogs are slotted just seventh in kills (12.63/set), assists (11.68/set) and blocks (2.24/set) while occupying the eighth position in opponent efficiency (.219). 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.

> San José State (13-3, 10-3 MW) is currently slotted second in the conference race after extending its winning streak to four matches with a pair of home victories last week. The Spartans escaped with a five-set nail-biter over Air Force (25-17, 25-14, 24-26, 18-25, 15-13) before posting a 3-1 triumph over New Mexico (25-21, 25-21, 22-25, 25-13). With the results, SJSU moved to 4-2 on the year in home matches against a combined 9-1 mark in road/neutral affairs. Prior to Saturday’s clash with the Aztecs, San José State will square off against UNLV in Las Vegas. Offensively, the Spartans are paced by the outside hitter duo of Blaire Fleming (3.68 kills/set) and Nayeli Ti’a (3.66 kills/set), who are slotted sixth and seventh in the MW, respectively. In addition, setter Brooke Slusser has displayed her versatility, ranking third in the league with a .395 hitting percentage to go with a fifth-place standing in assists (7.80/set) and a sixth-place average in service aces (0.39). Middle blocker Emma Testi also finds herself among the conference leaders, ranking fourth in service aces (0.44/set) and eighth in blocks (1.17/set). Not to be outdone, Ti’a has contributed to the Spartans’ defensive efforts as well with a team-high 2.91 digs per set. Collectively. SJSU leads the MW in blocks (2.73/set) while ranking second in service aces (1.76/set) and third in both digs (14.64/set) and hitting percentage (.229). The Spartans are also slotted fourth in the MW in kills (12.90/set) but have held opponents to a league-worst .142 efficiency for all matches. 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.

UP NEXT
Following this week’s homestand, San Diego State makes its final road trip of the regular season when it squares off against Nevada on Thursday, Nov. 14, before continuing east for a showdown with Utah State on Saturday, Nov. 16. Both matches are slated to begin at 6 p.m. PT.