Aztecs Ready for Final Regular-Season Road Trip at GCU, UNM

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State volleyball team embarks on its final road trip of the 2025 regular season this week when it faces Grand Canyon and New Mexico in a pair of Mountain West rematches.

The Aztecs will square off against the Lopes in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT, before battling the Lobos in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday, Nov. 8 at noon MT/11 a.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.

QUICK HITS
> San Diego State (12-11, 7-5 MW) dropped a pair of 3-1 decisions to Utah State and Boise State at home last week. In both encounters, the Aztecs captured the opening set, only to fall short in the final three frames.
> With the results, SDSU slipped into a tie for fourth place in the conference with Grand Canyon and Boise State, one match behind third-place Wyoming, while Utah State and Colorado State remain perched atop the MW standings, respectively.
> Senior opposite hitter Taylor Underwood led the Aztecs with 29 kills (3.63/set) for the week, posting double-digit put-aways against the Aggies (15) and Broncos (14).
> With her performances, Underwood has compiled 309 kills for the season and needs just one put-away to reach 1,000 kills in a Scarlet and Black uniform. She has recorded 1,263 put-aways for her career after launching 264 non-returnables as a freshman at DePaul in 2022.
> Not to be outdone, freshman libero Zara Stewart paced SDSU with 27 digs (3.38 digs/set) in the two matches, while junior outside hitter Ella Schabort contributed 23 kills (2.88/set), 16 digs (2.00/set) and five block assists (0.63/set)
> Elsewhere, freshman setter Kendall Mairs also displayed her versatility with 50 assists (6.25/set), 23 digs (2.88/set) and one kill.
> Entering the week, Underwood ranks third in the MW with 3.59 kills per set, while Stewart occupies the fourth spot in digs (3.76).
> SDSU is 9-6 in road/neutral matches this season.

SERIES RECORD VS. GRAND CANYON
> The Aztecs will look to avenge a narrow five-set defeat  (23-25, 25-16, 30-28, 25-15, 15-13) to the Lopes at home on Oct. 16, which marked just the second meeting between the two programs.
> Despite double-digit kill totals from three players, SDSU could not equal the net prowess of GCU, which maintained a sizable advantage in team blocks (21.0 to 8.0) and held a slight edge in aces (8-5) to key its victory. The Aztecs were also victimized by a furious Lopes rally in the opening set and were unable to build on a two-point lead in the final frame en route to its first MW loss of the 2025 campaign.
> Taylor Underwood led the Scarlet and Black with 16 kills, while Madison Corf launched 14non-returnables, followed by Amber Keen, who finished with 12 terminations of her own.
> SDSU faced Grand Canyon on one previous occasion, falling in three sets in the finale of the GCU Invitational on Sept. 14, 2019.

SERIES RECORD VS. NEW MEXICO
> San Diego State leads the all-time series 46-27 dating back to 1976.
> The Aztecs sport a 26-9 record against the Lobos in San Diego, a 15-18 mark in Albuquerque and a 5-0 ledger on a neutral court. 
> SDSU registered a 3-1 home victory (25-10, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23) over UNM in the first meeting between the two teams this season on Oct. 9.
> Collectively, the Aztecs owned the statistical advantage in most categories, including kills (55-40), aces (8-6), digs (73-62) and team blocks (13.0 to 11.0).
> Taylor Underwood led a balanced SDSU attack with 16 kills, followed by Madison Corf (11) and Natalie Hughes (10), while Zara Stewart collected a career-high 26 digs along the back row. 

MATCH CONNECTIONS
> San Diego State defensive specialist Keira Herron and New Mexico middle blocker Liepa Lavicktye were teammates at Oregon State during the 2023 campaign before entering the transfer portal.
> Aztec outside hitter Talea Mitchell and Lobo outside hitter Amanda Tremeroli competed against one another as prep seniors in 2023 in Arizona. Mitchell’s Millennium High team (Goodyear) recorded a 2-1 triumph over Tremeroli’s Pinnacle High squad (Phoenix) in a non-conference tournament match. Mitchell totaled four kills, three block assists and three digs, while Tremeroli finished with 11 kills and three block assists, according to MaxPreps.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> As of Nov. 5, opposite hitter Taylor Underwood occupies the third spot in the Mountain West with 3.59 kills per set, while libero Zara Stewart is slotted fourth in the league with 3.76 digs per set. Despite missing the last four matches, middle blocker Amber Keen still finds herself among the conference leaders this week, ranking sixth 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 just ahead of Keen, who set 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 second-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 third overall.
> Setter Kendall Mairs served up five aces against LSU at the Flo Hyman Classic on Sept. 5, which is tied for the fourth-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 10th-highest figure in the conference. Schabort later duplicated the feat at home against New Mexico on Oct. 11.
> Underwood equaled her season best with 22 kills at UNLV on Oct. 18, which is tied for the 10th-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 third in the Mountain West with a .192 opponent hitting percentage in conference play and occupies the fourth spot in that statistic for all matches (.193).
> In addition, the Aztecs rank fifth in the conference in service aces (1.46/set) while occupying the seventh position in blocks (2.11/set).
>  Elsewhere, SDSU is slotted eighth in both kills (12.57/set) and assists (11.58/set) while ranking ninth digs (13.58/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 22 of 23 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. 
> The 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 7-5 in matches following a victory in 2025 and 5-5 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 19 of 21appearances 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 46 blocks, highlighted by a career-best three solo rejections vs. LSU on Sept. 5.
> Underwood added 14 kills in last Saturday's rematch vs. Boise State, which brings her Aztec career total to 999 put-aways. She has compiled 1,263 kills as a collegian after recording 264 non-returnables as a freshman at DePaul in 2022.
> With one more kill, Underwood will become the first player to record 1,000 put-aways in an SDSU uniform since Victoria O'Sullivan accomplished the feat with 1,026 non-returnables from 2018-21.
> With 309 kills this season, Underwood also becomes the first Aztec to record 300 put-aways in three straight years since Deja Harris from 2016-18.
> Underwood needs just 91 kills to become the first SDSU player to record 400 put-aways in a single season since Melanie Greene (404) in 2006.
> Freshman libero Zara Stewart has surpassed the double-digit barrier for digs in 21 of 23 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.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Winners of four straight, Grand Canyon (15-8, 7-5 MW) has dropped just two sets during its streak to climb into a tie for fourth place in the conference standings with the Aztecs and Boise State. The Lopes are coming off a pair of home victories last week, dispatching Air Force in four sets (17-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-19) before sweeping Nevada (25-13, 25-7, 25-23). With the results, GCU moves to 8-5 in home matches while maintaining a 7-3 mark in road/neutral contests. In those two contests, setter/opposite hitter Bella Nunez totaled 20 kills (2.90/set), 38 assists (5.40/set), 10 digs (1.40/set) and seven blocks (1.00/set) while hitting .333 to earn her fourth MW Freshman of the Year honor this season.  Entering the week, sophomore Aubrey Goodere ranks second in the conference with a .349 hitting percentage, while senior Anaelena Ramirez is slotted ninth in kills (3.27/set). In addition, Nunez (2.32/set) and graduate senior Sophia Parlanti (2.05/set) are averaging over two kills per set. Elsewhere, sophomore Taylor Kubacak occupies the fourth position in service aces (0.33/set) and leads the squad in assists (5.12/set), splitting the setter duties with Nunez (4.34/set), who ranks second on the team in that statistic. Defensively, freshman Aubrey Bellus (1.464/set) and graduate student Hayden Goodman (1.460/set) are slotted second and third in the MW in blocks, respectively, while junior Bella Anderson ranks ninth in digs (3.45/set). Collectively, the Lopes occupy the second spot in the conference in blocks (2.81/set), which ranks 12th in the nation. GCU is also slotted second in the MW in digs (14.70/set) and fifth in hitting percentage (.214) but ranks just seventh in kills (12.67/set). The Lopes are under the leadership of second-year head coach Kendra Potts, who arrived on the Phoenix campus after spending the previous five previous seasons at West Texas A&M, where she guided the Buffaloes to consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II finals, highlighted by a national championship in 2022. For her efforts that season, Potts was named AVCA National Coach of the Year.

> After completing an 8-3 non-conference schedule, New Mexico (10-13, 2-10 MW) has tumbled to the bottom of the Mountain West standings after winning just two games in league action thus far. The Lobos picked up their second conference victory with a sweep of Nevada on Oct. 30 (25-14, 25-14, 25-21) before suffering a reversal of fortune two days later in a 3-0 loss to Air Force (12-25, 22-25, 22-25). With the results, UNM slips to 6-5 at home this season while maintaining a 4-8 mark in road/neutral matches. Prior to Saturday's showdown against the Aztecs, the Lobos will play host to UNLV on Thursday night. Appearing in 12 of 13 MW matches after missing the non-conference slate, senior Lauren Payne leads the Lobos with 3.19 kills per set (137 overall), while freshman Addison France tops the squad with 230 total put-aways (2.77/set), followed by graduate senior Gioia Riccato (169 kills, 2.41/set) and sophomore Seenane Brewer (117 kills, 2.02/set). In addition, the Lobos have received a boost from junior setter Madeleine Miller, who ranks fourth in the conference in assists (8.66/set) and is slotted ninth in service aces (0.30/set), while sophomore Reagan Miller leads the team with a .323 hitting percentage. Defensively, junior Camila Canedo tops the Mountain West with 4.32 digs per set, while sophomore Solia Angilau (0.96/set, 52 total) and Reagan Miller (0.83/set, 55 total) lead the Lobos  in blocks. Collectively, UNM is slotted fourth in the conference in digs (14.76/set) and sixth in hitting percentage (.223), but rank just ninth in blocks (2.02/set) and 10th in kills (12.16/set). The Lobos are under the guidance of seventh-year head coach Jon Newman-Gonchar, who arrived on the Albuquerque campus after spending the previous three seasons at Arkansas as associate head coach. Newman-Gonchar has also had stints as an assistant coach at Iowa State (2013-15), Loyola Marymount (2010-12), as well as UC San Diego with both the men’s and women’s teams (2007-09).

ON THE HORIZON
> Following this weekend's road trip, San Diego State will close out its regular-season slate with a four-match homestand vs. Colorado State (Nov. 13), Wyoming (Nov. 15), San José State (Nov. 20) and Fresno State (Nov. 22). The top six teams in the conference standings will qualify for the Mountain West Championship, Nov. 26-29, in Las Vegas, Nevada.