Aztecs Host San Jose State, Fresno State to Wrap Up Regular-Season Slate

SAN DIEGO -- With a berth in the Mountain West Championship hanging in the balance, the San Diego State volleyball team wraps up its regular-season schedule this week with a pair of home matches vs. San José State and Fresno State inside Aztec Court at Peterson Gym.

The Aztecs will battle the Spartans on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. PT, before facing the Bulldogs on Saturday, Nov. 22 at noon 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.

Thursday's showdown with SJSU has been designated White Out Night and all fans are encouraged to wear white. In addition, the first 250 fans will receive a free reversible white bucket hat.

Prior to Saturday’s clash with Fresno State, the Aztecs will recognize their senior class with a special ceremony, celebrating the accomplishments of Cara Braun, Madison Corf, Sarena Gonzalez, Keira Herron, Amber Keen and Taylor Underwood. Free SDSU license plate frames will also be presented to the first 250 spectators.

QUICK HITS
> San Diego State (13-14, 8-8 MW) enters the week in sixth place in the conference standings after opening its homestand with a pair of losses to Colorado State (Nov. 13) and Wyoming (Nov. 15). The top six teams will qualify for the Mountain West Championship, set for Nov. 26-29 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
> If the Aztecs defeat San José State on Thursday and Air Force falls to Utah State, SDSU clinches a spot in the conference tourney. 
> Utah State, Colorado State and Wyoming have already punched their tickets to the MW Championship, while Boise State and Grand Canyon are currently tied for fourth in the conference race, followed by the Aztecs, with Air Force and San José State tied for seventh.
> Against the Rams and Cowgirls last week, Ella Schabort (2.57), Campbell Hague (2.43), Madison Corf (2.14), Taylor Underwood (2.00) and Annelise Rising (2.00) all averaged two kills per set or more.
> In addition, Zara Stewart continued her stellar play last week with 30 digs (4.29/set), climbing into fourth place in the MW for the season in that category (3.69/set).
> Elsewhere, Sarena Gonzalez topped the squad with 40 assists (5.71/set) and scooped up 11 digs (1.57/set), sharing the setting chores with Bella Jones, who dished out 28 helpers (4.00/set) and contributed 16 digs (2.29/set). 

SERIES RECORD VS. SAN JOSÉ STATE
>  SDSU leads the all-time series against San José State 27-18 in 45 varsity meetings since 1977. The Aztecs sport a 14-6 record against the Spartans in San Diego, a 10-11 mark in San Jose and a 3-1 ledger on a neutral floor.
> San Diego State has emerged victorious in the last three encounters vs. SJSU, including a 3-2 nail-biter in Silicon Valley on Sept. 27 (25-23, 24-26, 25-17, 15-25, 15-10).
> In that contest, the Scarlet and Black received a series of outstanding individual performances, featuring Taylor Underwood, who led all players with a season-high 22 kills and hit .400 for the afternoon en route to earning MW Offensive Player of the Week honors.
> Collectively, the Aztecs maintained the edge in hitting percentage (.248 to .179), kills (60-52), team blocks (13.0 to 8.0) and digs (57-53), overcoming 13 service errors to secure the victory.

SERIES RECORD VS. FRESNO STATE
> San Diego State leads the all-time series against Fresno State 38-20 in 58 varsity meetings dating back to 1976. 
> The Aztecs swept the Bulldogs in convincing fashion in their Mountain West opener on Sept. 25 in Fresno (25-17, 25-21, 25-16).
> In that matchup, SDSU owned the statistical advantage in most categories, including hitting percentage (.252 to .032), kills (44-30), digs (51-42) and team blocks (7.0 to 6.0) to complete its first sweep in Fresno since 2022.
> The Aztecs defense limited the Bulldogs to a .040 efficiency over the final two sets, including a .000 clip (6-6-37) in the third frame.
> SDSU was paced by Taylor Underwood, who blasted 12 kills, while Madison Corf just missed a double-double after finished with nine terminations of her own and a match-high 15 digs, helping the Scarlet and Black log its third straight victory over Fresno State.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> As of Nov. 19, libero Zara Stewart occupies the fourth spot in the Mountain West with 3.69 digs per set, while opposite hitter Taylor Underwood (3.54 kills/set) and Kendall Mairs (5.22 assists/set) are slotted sixth and 10th in their respective categories. Despite missing the last eight matches, middle blocker Amber Keen still finds herself among the conference leaders this week, ranking fourth with a .337 hitting percentage.
> 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 Annelise Rising’s collegiate-best .682 clip (16-1-22) at Boise State ranks seventh ahead of Keen, who ranks ninth after setting a career high with a .650 hitting percentage (14-1-20) vs. Oregon at the Long Beach State Tourney on Sept. 11.
> Not to be outdone, Corf’s .750 efficiency is tied for the fourth-highest individual hitting percentage in the country this season.
> Stewart collected a career-high 26 digs vs. New Mexico on Oct. 9, which represents the second-highest total in the conference during a four-set match so far this year and is tied for fourth overall.
> Setter Kendall Mairs served up five aces against LSU at the Flo Hyman Classic on Sept. 5, which is tied for the fifth-best figure in the MW thus far.
> Campbell Hague and Ella Schabort recorded four aces apiece vs. Omaha at the same tournament the following day, which tied for the 12th-highest figure in the conference. Schabort later duplicated the feat at home against New Mexico on Oct. 9.
>    Underwood equaled her season best with 22 kills at New Mexico on Nov. 8, which is tied for the 11th-best total in the league and is tied for the second-highest in a four-set match.
> Entering the week, San Diego State is slotted fourth in the Mountain West with a .202 opponent hitting percentage for all matches. 
> In addition, the Aztecs rank sixth in the conference in service aces (1.39/set) while occupying the seventh position in both kills (12.59/set) and assists (11.62/set).
> Elsewhere, SDSU is slotted ninth in both blocks (2.08/set) and digs (13.59/set). 
> The Aztecs’ 14 service aces against Omaha  is tied for the top team performance in the conference so far this season.
> In addition, SDSU’s 14 aces equaled 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 is tied for the ninth-best clip in the MW thus far. 
> SDSU's 50 kills at Nevada on Oct. 4 is tied for the sixth-highest total in the three-set match in the conference.

ODDS AND ENDS
> The Aztecs have held 26 of 27 opponents under a .300 hitting percentage this year. SDSU allowed its first adversary to hit over .300 when UNLV posted a .314 efficiency on Oct. 18. 
> he Aztecs are 8-4 thus far when limiting the opposition below a .200 efficiency. Last season, SDSU went 16-0 when holding opponents to a hitting percentage below .200. 
> SDSU is 6-0 this season when out-blocking the opposition and 10-2 when maintaining a greater hitting percentage. Last year' the Aztecs went 16-5 when leading in blocks and 19-3 when out-hitting their opponents.
> SDSU is 7-6 in matches following a victory in 2025 and 6-7 in contests following a loss.
> Senior Taylor Underwood had her streak of double-digit kills snapped at 15 straight matches after posting eight terminations at Utah State on Oct. 23. Still, the Aztec opposite hitter has 10 or more kills in 22 of 25 appearances this year after rebounding with a match-high 18 put-aways at Boise State on Oct. 25. The Norco, California, native also ranks fourth on the squad with 53 blocks, highlighted by a career-best three solo rejections vs. LSU on Sept. 5.
> Freshman libero Zara Stewart has surpassed the double-digit barrier for digs in 25 of 27 matches this year, including a career-high 26 scoops vs. New Mexico on Oct. 9. She also led all players with 22 digs against Grand Canyon on Oct. 16.

MATCH CONNECTIONS
> 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. 
> 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.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> San José State (12-15, 7-9 MW) split its final two home matches last week, posting a four-set triumph over Boise State (18-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-23) before suffering a reversal of fortune against first-place Utah State (30-32, 16-25, 30-28, 25-17) two days later. With their results, the Spartans even their record at 6-6 at home while maintaining a combined 6-9 mark in road/neutral contests. Entering the week, SJSU boasts three players who are averaging over two kills per set in redshirt junior transfer Lolo Fonua (2.64), freshman Morgan Graves (2.56) and junior transfer Naima Foster (2.14).  Former Aztec setter Fatimah Hall occupies the sixth spot in the MW in assists (7.97/set) to go with a team-high 29 service aces. Hall, who is the lone Spartan player to appear in all 109 sets this season, is also slotted second on the squad with 267 digs (2.45/set), trailing freshman Talita dos Santos Gonçalves (330 overall, 3.33/set). Two additional transfers have contributed to SJSU’s fortunes at the net, with junior Ava Hewitt-Smith leading the team in blocks (1.16/set, 123 overall), which ranks seventh in the MW, while sophomore Learden Lee is slotted second on the squad with 82 rejections of her own. Collectively, the Spartans are slotted sixth in the Mountain West in both blocks (2.17/set) and digs (14.22/set) but rank just ninth in kills (12.44) and 10th in hitting percentage (.198). 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.

> Picked to finish fourth in the MW preseason coaches poll, Fresno State (6-21, 2-14 MW) has fallen on hard times this year, sinking to the bottom of the conference standings after dropping seven straight matches. The Bulldogs suffered a pair of sweeps in their final two home matches of the season vs. Utah State (22-25, 22-25, 21-25) and Boise State (15-25, 20-25, 21-25). With its results, Fresno State finishes the year with a 3-8 record at home while maintaining a 3-13 ledger in road/neutral matches. Prior to Saturday's showdown against the Aztecs, the Bulldogs will travel to UNLV on Thursday night. Fresno State is paced by senior Addison Haluska, who leads the conference with 4.49 kills per set, which ranks 20th nationally as of Nov. 19, while redshirt junior Jenna Legault is slotted second the team with 3.25 put-aways per frame. In addition, redshirt freshman Gabby Lombardi occupies the fifth spot in the MW in assists (8.39/set), while her older sister Olivia Lombardi, a redshirt sophomore, ranks eighth in digs (3.51). At the net, true freshman Brooklyn Washington tops the squad with 83 blocks (0.94/set), followed by Haluska (55, 0.60/set) and Legault (43, 0.47/set). As a team, the Bulldogs are slotted fifth in the conference with a .213 hitting percentage and eighth in digs (13.60/set) but ranks 11th in blocks (1.96/set) and last in both kills (11.99/set) and opponent hitting percentage (.271).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.

ON THE HORIZON
> If San Diego State clinches a spot in the Mountain West Championship, it will open the tournament with a quarterfinal match on Wednesday, Nov. 26, starting at 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. PT.