Volleyball

Taylor Underwood Named MW Offensive Player of the Week

San Diego State senior Taylor Underwood received Old Trapper Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week recognition after leading the Aztecs to a pair of road victories at Fresno State and San José State to open conference play.

Taylor Underwood Named MW Offensive Player of the WeekTaylor Underwood Named MW Offensive Player of the Week

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State senior Taylor Underwood received Old Trapper Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week recognition after leading the Aztecs to a pair of road victories at Fresno State and San José State to open conference play. The announcement was made Monday by the league office in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

With her award, Underwood earned her first career MW weekly honor and gave the program its first accolade of the season, as the Scarlet and Black opened its conference schedule with a 2-0 record for the first time since the 2011 campaign.

A native of Norco, California, Underwood led the Aztecs with 34 kills, averaging 4.25 put-aways in eight sets across two matches while contributing six block assists and two service aces.

Her 4.25 average per set was nearly one kill more (0.93) than her season clip of 3.32 heading into the weekend. She also posted a sparkling .389 hitting percentage, which was well over 100 points higher (.144) than her season pace of .245 before the start of league play, committing just six errors for the week in 72 attempts.

Underwood helped the Aztecs to their first road sweep at Fresno State since 2022 thanks to a team-high 12 kills while hitting .370 for the match, finishing with just two errors in 27 attempts. The SDSU opposite hitter blasted seven kills in the second set alone, helping the Scarlet and Black keep the Bulldogs at bay, 25-21. She also flashed her versatility with three block assists and a service ace.

Underwood continued her stellar play at San José State, where she launched a season-high 22 kills (4.50/set), committing just four errors in 45 attempts for a .400 efficiency. Early in the fifth and deciding set, she knocked down two kills and served up an ace during a 7-3 opening run, helping the Aztecs build an insurmountable lead.

For the season, Underwood ranks second in the Mountain West with 3.48 kills per set and is slotted third on the team among qualifiers with a .271 hitting percentage while occupying the fourth spot on the squad with 26 blocks. She has compiled double-digit kills in eight straight matches and 10 of 11 contests this year.

Earlier this season, Underwood eclipsed the 1,000-kill plateau for her career after combining for 47 put-aways in three matches against Houston, LSU and Omaha at the Flo Hyman Classic, Sept. 4-6, in Houston, Texas. With her performance at Fresno State and SJSU, she has recorded 1,114 kills in her career, including 850 in an SDSU uniform after spending her freshman season in 2022 at DePaul.

Underwood and the Aztecs continue their road swing this week with a pair of Mountain West matches at Air Force and Nevada. SDSU will face the Falcons at the Academy on Thursday, Oct. 2, beginning at 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT, before battling the Wolf Pack in Reno on Saturday, Oct. 4, starting at noon PT. Both contests will air live on the Mountain West Network.