Aztecs to Open MW Slate This Weekend at Fresno State, San Jose State

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State opens its 27th and final season of Mountain West competition this weekend when it visits Fresno State and San José State.

> The Aztecs will battle the Bulldogs on Thursday, Sept. 25, starting at 6 p.m. PT, before facing the Spartans on Saturday, Sept. 27, beginning at 1 p.m. PT.
> 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.
> SDSU has compiled a 203-223 record against MW competition in the regular season since the league’s inception in 1999. However, The Aztecs are 286-218 in program history against teams in the current conference alignment thanks in part to renewed rivalries with Fresno State and San José State.
> San Diego State is 13-13 all-time in Mountain West openers after defeating Air Force in four sets on the road last season.
> The Aztecs will play 18 conference matches, including home-and-away contests against seven league rivals while facing Air Force, Nevada, Colorado State and Wyoming just once.

QUICK HITS
> San Diego State completed its non-conference slate with a 5-6 record after dropping two of three matches in its season-opening homestand at Peterson Gym, Sept. 18-20, which comprised part of the Jack Talmadge Classic, co-hosted by the University of San Diego.
> The Aztecs posted a four-set triumph over UC San Diego in their 2025 lid-lifter but fell short in narrow 3-2 decision to USD in another crosstown battle, followed by a three-set whitewash at the hands of Yale.
> Senior opposite hitter Taylor Underwood and junior middle blocker Amber Keen received all-tournament recognition after last weekend’s matches.
> Entering the week, Keen ranks fourth in the Mountain West with a .333 hitting percentage, while Underwood is slotted fifth with 3.32 kills per set.

SERIES RECORD VS. FRESNO STATE
> San Diego State leads the all-time series against Fresno State 37-20 in 57 varsity meetings dating back to 1976. 
> Playing as the No. 5 seed, the Aztecs registered a four-set victory over the fourth-seeded Bulldogs last season in the first round of the Mountain West Championship.
> In that match, SDSU maintained the upper hand in kills (61-47) hitting percentage (.302 to .260) and service aces (8-4) to reach the 20-victory plateau for the first time since the 2012.
> Among returners, Taylor blasted 16 kills in that match to lead the Scarlet and Black, while Gianna Bender and Keira Herron finished with 10 digs apiece
> The Aztecs 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 SDSU’s last nine matches against the Bulldogs have gone to five sets, including the Aztecs’ 3-2 triumph in San Diego on Nov. 7, 2024. 
> In that contest, the Aztecs displayed a balanced attack with five players surpassing the double-digit kill plateau, including returners Underwood (11),  Natalie Hughes (11) and Talea Mitchell (10).

SERIES RECORD VS. SAN JOSÉ STATE
> SDSU leads the all-time series against San José State 26-18 in 44 varsity meetings since 1977. The Aztecs sport a 14-6 record against the Spartans in San Diego, a 9-11 mark in San Jose and a 3-1 ledger on a neutral floor.
> SDSU registered its first regular-season sweep of San José State since 2014 a year ago, posting a 3-0 whitewash in Silicon Valley before logging a four-set triumph in Peterson Gym.   
> Among returners in that latter contest, Taylor Underwood blasted 14 kills in 27 attempts without an error for a .519 efficiency, while Natalie Hughes contributed four blocks, including a pair of solo stops. 
> The teams combined for a whopping 43 ties and 22 lead changes in the see-saw contest. However, the Aztecs maintained the statistical advantage in kills (53-43), digs (63-51) and team blocks (11.0 to 9.0) to pocket the hard-fought victory.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> As of Sept. 24, middle blocker Amber Keen ranks fourth in the Mountain West with a .333 hitting percentage, while opposite hitter Taylor Underwood is slotted fifth in kills (3.32/set). In addition, libero Zara Stewart occupies the seventh spot in the league in digs (3.49/set).
> Madison Corf’s career-high .750 hitting percentage (16-1-20) against UC San Diego on Sept. 18 marks the top efficiency in the league so far this season, while Keen’s collegiate-best .650 clip (14-1-20) vs. Oregon at the Long Beach State Tourney ranks third.
> Kendall Mairs served up five aces against LSU at the Flo Hyman Classic on Sept. 5, which is tied for the fourth-best total in the MW this season.
> Campbell Hague and Ella Schabort recorded four aces apiece vs. Omaha at the same tournament the following day, which tied for the sixth-highest figure in the conference.
> Entering the weekend, San Diego State is slotted fifth in the Mountain West in service aces (1.53/set), while ranking seventh with a .194 opponent hitting percentage.
> The Aztecs’ 14 service aces against Omaha represents the top team performance in the conference so far this season.
> In addition, SDSU’s 14 aces matched its highest total since Nov. 23, 2001, in a three-set triumph over Denver at the Wildcat Classic in Tucson, Arizona.
> The Aztecs’ .369 team hitting percentage vs. UCSD marks the fifth-best clip in the MW thus far. In addition, SDSU dished out 55 assists in that contest, which is tied for the fifth-highest total in a four-set match among conference teams.

MATCH 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.
> San José State junior setter Fatimah Hall played two seasons with the Aztecs in 2023 and 2024. Hall compiled 913 assists (5.64/set) and 267 digs (1.64/set) in 46 matches for the Scarlet and Black while serving up 18 aces.
> Hall is also the older sister of Fresno State freshman outside hitter Lalelei Hall.
> Two players on SJSU’s roster prepped at San Diego County high schools, including junior outside hitter Devon DeNocochea (Canyon Crest Academy), a transfer from Portland State and freshman libero Nazare Judd (Point Loma High).
> In addition, Spartan assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Yazmin Pitpit graduated with honors from Scripps Ranch High in 2019.
> Judd and San Diego State freshman opposite hitter Mila Gehlen faced one another as high school players during the 2024 campaign when both were prep seniors. Gehlen’s Scripps Ranch team topped Judd’s Point Loma squad on two occasions that season, posting a four-set road victory before logging a two-set sweep in a non-conference tournament later in the season. 

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Fresno State (4-7) dropped two of three matches at Sacramento State’s Central Cal Challenge last weekend to finish its non-conference slate with a 4-7 record. The Bulldogs sandwiched a 3-0 sweep of CSU Bakersfield between a three-set loss to Pacific and a four-set defeat to the host Hornets. With the results, Fresno State enters the weekend with a 3-6 mark in road/neutral matches and a 1-1 ledger at home. Prior to the 2025 campaign, the Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll, totaling 86 points to trail the third-place Aztecs, who garnered 96 points and two first-place votes. The Bulldogs are paced by senior Addison Haluska, who leads the conference with 4.03 kills per set, which ranks 57th nationally as of Sept. 24, while redshirt junior Jenna Legault is slotted second the team with 3.13 put-aways per frame. In addition, redshirt sophomore Olivia Lombardi occupies the second spot in the league in digs (3.88/set), while her younger sister Gabby Lombardi, a redshirt freshman, ranks fifth in assists (8.39/set). At the net, true freshman Brooklyn Washington tops the squad with 30 blocks, followed by Haluska (23) and Legault (20). Collectively, Fresno State occupies the fifth spot in the Mountain West with a .213 hitting percentage and ranks seventh in both digs (13.11/set) and service aces (1.42/set) but ranks just 10th in kills (11.79/set) and blocks (1.80/set). The Bulldogs are guided by third-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 (5-6) captured two matches against host San Francisco at the USF Challenge last week, posting a narrow five-set victory in the opener and a four-set triumph in the finale, sandwiched around a 3-1 defeat vs. CSUN.  With their results, the Spartans finished their non-conference slate with a 5-3 record in road/neutral matches and an 0-3 mark at home. Prior to the 2025 campaign, SJSU was picked 11th in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll. The Spartans and Aztecs faced one common opponent during their respective non-conference schedules. SDSU dropped a four-set decision at California in their season opener on Aug. 29, while San José State swept the Golden Bears at Cal Poly’s Mustang Invitational on Sept. 13. The Spartans will open their MW slate on Thursday night at home against UNLV. SJSU boasts three players averaging over two kills per set in redshirt junior transfer Lolo Fonua (2.68), freshman Morgan Graves and junior Devon DeNecochea (2.12), with the latter returning to the lineup last week after missing the previous three matches. Former Aztec setter Fatimah Hall enters the week ranked fourth in the MW in service aces (0.43/set, 19 overall) while occupying the seventh spot in assists (6.57/set). Hall, who is the lone Spartan player to appear in all 44 sets this season, is also tied for team lead with 100 digs and ranks third in digs per set (2.27), trailing freshman Talita dos Santos Gonçalves (2.46/set, 86 overall) and fellow classmate Nazare Judd (2.44/set, 100). Two additional transfers have contributed to the Spartans’ fortunes at the net, with junior Ava Hewitt-Smith leading the team in blocks (0.93/set, 38 overall), followed by sophomore Learden Lee (0.76/set, 32 overall). Collectively, San José State is slotted seventh in the Mountain West in kills (12.16/set) while ranking eighth in hitting percentage (.200), service aces (1.41/set) and digs (12.80/set). Elsewhere, the Spartans occupy the ninth position in assists (10.93/set) and the 11th spot in blocks (1.77/set). SJSU 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.

ON THE HORIZON
> San Diego State continues its road show next week when it squares off against Air Force (Oct. 2) and Nevada (Oct. 4). Both matches will air live on the Mountain West Network.