Aztecs Return Home to Battle Oregon State, Gonzaga This Week

SAN DIEGO -- After playing its first four conference matches on the road, the battle-tested San Diego State volleyball team will face seven of its next eight opponents at home, starting this week when it welcomes Oregon State and Gonzaga to Peterson Gym.

The Aztecs will engage the Beavers on Thursday, Oct. 8, starting at 6 p.m. PT, before locking horns with the Zags on Saturday, Oct. 10, beginning at noon PT.

Along with live stats, both matches will air live on the Pac-12 YouTube Channel, with links available on GoAztecs.com.

For the Scarlet and Black's Pac-12 home opener on Thursday, the first 250 fans will receive a free SDSU belt bag, while free Aztec key chains will be presented to the first 250 patrons on Saturday.

OPENING SERVE
> San Diego State returns to "America's Finest City" after a successful road trip last week when it posted a 3-1 triumph at Boise State (25-17, 19-25, 25-17, 25-16), followed by a sweep of Washington State (25-11, 25-20, 25-18) in the first-ever meeting with the Cougars.
> With their results, the Aztecs (8-6, 3-1 Pac-12) maintain their grip on third place in the conference standings, one-half game behind second-place Oregon State and one game behind front-runner Colorado State.
> Sophomore Kendall Mairs was named Pac-12 Setter of the Week for the second time this season after logging a pair of double-doubles last weekend. She led the conference in assists (11.00/set) in those two matches while ranking eighth in digs (3.29/set).
> Not to be outdone, senior Ella Schabort continued her stellar all-round play after totaling 29 kills (4.14/set), 21 digs (3.00/set), four block assists, two setting assists and one service ace for the week.
> As a team, SDSU blasted a season-high 65 kills at Boise State, led by Schabort's match-best 18 put-aways, while freshman Layla Austin contributed 17 terminations of her own. In addition, Mairs set a career high with 50 assists and collected 10 digs to help the Scarlet and Black emerge victorious at Bronco Gym for the second year in a row.
> Two days later in Pullman, the Aztecs limited WSU to a .068 hitting percentage, marking the lowest efficiency for an SDSU opponent this season. Schabort led all players with 11 kills in that contest, helping the Aztecs complete their fifth sweep of the year.
> Entering the weekend, sophomore Taelyn Bentley leads the Pac-12 with a .419 hitting percentage, while Mairs (9.37 assists/set), Schabort (3.58 kills/set) and Austin (3.12/set) rank third, fourth and seventh in their respective categories.
> In addition, sophomore Zara Stewart is slotted fifth in the conference individual rankings with an average of 3.67 digs per set, while Mairs occupies the eighth spot in that statistic with 3.04 digs per frame.

SERIES RECORDS
> San Diego State has faced Oregon State eight times in the all-time series since 1982, with the Beavers winning the last five meetings.
> The teams last played one another in the opening match of the 2018 SDSU/USD Challenge, where the Aztecs dropped a 3-1 decision (25-23, 13-25, 20-25, 17-25) at Peterson Gym.
> SDSU is 2-2 against Oregon State at home, 0-1 on the road and 1-2 at a neutral site.
> Meanwhile, SDSU has won four of five matches against Gonzaga dating back to 1993, posting back-to-back victories at the Zags' home tournament in 2023 and 2024.
> The Aztecs prevailed in a five-set nail-biter the last time they faced GU in 2024 (25-14, 25-14, 21-25, 18-25, 15-12). Defensive specialist Gianna Bender is SDSU's lone holdover from that match when she posted 20 digs and eight assists.

MATCH CONNECTIONS
> Oregon State senior outside hitter AC Froehlich is in her first season with the Beavers after transferring from LSU, where she competed against the Aztecs at the 2025 Flo Hyman Classic in Houston, Texas. In that contest, Froehlich finished with one kill and two blocks in three sets of action, as the Tigers prevailed in a 3-2 nail-biter.
> San Diego State junior middle blocker Tessa Schouten faced Oregon State on three occasions during her first two collegiate seasons at Saint Mary's when the Beavers and Gaels were rivals in the West Coast Conference. In those matches, Schouten hit .297, totaling 18 kills, 14 blocks and seven digs. However, Saint Mary's fell short in all three encounters.
> Likewise, Schouten battled Gonzaga four times during her stay with Saint Mary's when the Zags were also members of the WCC. In those matches, Schouten posted a .425 hitting percentage and combined for 23 blocks, 22 kills, three digs and a service ace to help the Gaels emerge victorious in all four contests. In her first match against Gonzaga last season, Schouten set a career-high with 11 blocks, including a trio of solo stops, helping Saint Mary's to the road victory.
> SDSU senior outside hitter Haylee Brown and Oregon State junior opposite hitter Taylor Treahy were teammates at George Washington for one season in 2024.
> OSU freshman outside hitter Abby Lesagonicz is a 2026 graduate of Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego.
> Aztec middle blocker Taelyn Bentley is a native of Corvallis, Oregon, who began her prep career at Crescent Valley High School before transferring to South Albany High for her senior season in 2024, helping the Redhawks capture the Class 5A state championship.
> Ironically, Bentley's South Albany squad swept her former school Crescent Valley in the title match that season.
> Aztec freshman outside hitter Layla Austin and Gonzaga freshman middle blocker Lydia Fisher met three times on the prep volleyball scene in Texas during the 2025 campaign when both competed as seniors. Austin's Southlake Carroll High School team posted a 2-1 record against Fisher's Highland Park squad, including a 3-2 nail-biter on Aug. 16, 2025. In that contest, Austin led all players with 24 kills and collected 19 digs, while Fisher finished with 13 kills and two solo blocks, according to MaxPreps.
> Gonzaga junior outside hitter Claire Wagstaff is a transfer from Wyoming who faced San Diego State on two occasions during the 2025 campaign. Against the Aztecs at Peterson Gym, Wagstaff contributed eight kills, four digs and four block assists in three sets off the bench to help the Cowgirls to a 3-0 win. However, SDSU exacted a measure of revenge two weeks later at the Mountain West Championship with a four-set triumph in the first round, where Wagstaff was limited to just one kill and a pair of block assists. 

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
> Since the beginning of the 2009 campaign, Aztecs have amassed a 134-94 (.588) record at home, highlighted by a 14-0 mark during the 2012 season when SDSU captured the Mountain West championship.
> In 2024, the Aztecs posted a 10-2 ledger at Peterson Gym, marking their first season with double-digit home victories since the 2017 campaign, when the Scarlet and Black went 10-5.

SDSU IN PAC-12 RANKINGS
> Entering the third week of conference play, Taelyn Bentley leads the in the Pac-12 with a .419 hitting percentage after combining for a .440 efficiency in two matches at Boise State and Washington State.
> In addition, Kendall Mairs finds herself among the league leaders in three categories, ranking third in assists (9.37/set), eighth in digs (3.04/set) and ninth in service aces (0.33/set).
> Elsewhere, Ella Schabort (3.58/set) occupies the fourth spot in the league in kills, while Layla Austin (3.12/set) is slotted seventh n that statistic. 
> Not to be outdone, Zara Stewart ranks fifth in digs (3.67/set).
> As a team, SDSU occupies the second position in the Pac-12 in kills (13.19), assists (12.21/set) and digs (14.44/set) while ranking fifth in hitting percentage (.213).
> The Aztecs' .407 hitting percentage at Santa Clara marks the second-highest team efficiency for a single match thus far in the Pac-12.
> SDSU's 65 kills at Boise State represents the highest team total in the conference for a four-set match and is tied for the eighth-best in the league overall. 
> In addition, the Aztecs' 62 assists against the Broncos marks the top figure in the league for a four-set match.
> Earlier, SDSU launched 64 kills against California, which is tied for the 10th-best total overall.
> The Aztecs' 57 team digs against UC Davis marks the third-best figure for a three-set match this season.
 > Individually, Ella Schabort's .692 hitting percentage (19-1-26) at Santa Clara is tied for the highest clip in the Pac-12 thus far, while her 19 kills in that contest is tops for a three-set match.
> In addition, Layla Austin's .586 efficiency (18-1-29) against UC Irvine ranks seventh in the league, while her 18 kills from that outing is slotted second for a three-set match.
> Not to be outdone, Kendall Mairs dished out a career-high 50 assists at Boise State, which ranks second in the conference for a four-set match.
> Elsewhere, Zara Stewart has recorded the third-highest dig-total in the Pac-12 for a four-set match with 21 scoops against IU Indy, while her 16 digs at Fresno State is tied for the fifth best in a three-set match.

AUSTIN AWESOME
> Freshman sensation Layla Austin has made an immediate impact in her first season with the Aztecs, ranking seventh among the Pac-12 leaders this week with an average of 3.12 kills per set.
> A former prep All-American from Southlake, Texas, Austin has led the Scarlet and Black with double-digit kills in 11 of 14 matches this year, highlighted by a collegiate-best 18 put-aways vs. UC Irvine at the Husky Invitational on Aug. 30.
> Against the Anteaters, Austin committed just one error in 39 attempts for a .586 hitting percentage, which marks the seventh-highest efficiency in the Pac-12 so far this season.
> For her efforts, Austin earned a spot on the Husky Invite all-tournament team.
> Additionally, Austin has posted two of the Aztecs' other top-six hitting percentages of the season (min. 12 kills), including a .406clip (17-4-32) at Boise State on Oct. 1 and a .400 efficiency (17-5-30) vs. IU Indy on Aug. 28
> Not to be outdone, Austin ranks third on the squad with 124 digs (2.38/set), highlighted by a career-best 20 scoops vs. Cal on Sept. 12.

NEWCOMERS CONTRIBUTING
> Nine of the Aztecs' 10 newcomers have seen action this season, with two of those players - Layla Austin and Nazare Judd appearing in all 52 sets.
> Along with Austin's elite production, SDSU has received steady contributions from middle blockers Taelyn Bentley and Tessa Schouten and Taelyn Bentley.
> A sophomore transfer from South Florida, Bentley leads the Pac-12 with a .419 hitting percentage and is slotted second on the team with 32 blocks while ranking third with 87 kills (1.81/set).
> At the Santa Clara Mission Classic, Bentley hit a combined .727, knocking down 17 kills in just 22 attempts with one error.
> The Corvallis, Oregon, native blasted a career-high 11 kills in the that tournament vs. Cal before launching 10 put-aways against Arizona in the Aztecs home opener. Against the Wildcats, Bentley also came up with a season-high six block assists.
> A junior transfer from Saint Mary's, Schouten leads the team with 38 blocks and ranks fourth with 76 kills (1.58/set). 
> In SDSU's sweep at Fresno State, Schouten established a career best with 11 kills after setting season highs with seven block assists and three digs against Cal Poly at the Aggie Invitational. 
> Elsewhere, Ole Miss transfer Annabelle De Jager has appeared in 37 sets across 12 matches this season, ranking fifth on the team with 66 kills (1.78/set) while adding 41 digs (1.11/set) and 12 blocks.
> De Jager enjoyed a breakout match in SDSU's home opener against Arizona when she launched a career-high 13 kills to go with eight digs. In addition, the Eaton, Colorado, native collected a collegiate-best nine digs against Cal Poly at the Aggie Invitational. 
> Judd has also played in all 52 sets for the Scarlet and Black this year, earning a start in five straight matches from Sept. 4-18, highlighted by a season-best performance of eight digs vs. Arizona.
> A San Diego native who returned to her hometown after spending her freshman season at San José State, Judd has collected 64 digs for the year (1.23/set) to go with eight setting assists. She has cracked the starting lineup in the past two matches at Boise State and Washington State.
> In addition, senior Haylee Brown has seen increased playing time of late, appearing in seven of the last nine matches, highlighted by a season-high performance of 10 kills against California at the Santa Clara Mission Classic, where she committed just one error in 26 attempts for a .346 hitting percentage. The Nevada transfer also assisted on a pair of blocks vs. the Golden Bears.
> Freshman middle blocker Chelsea Cocks earned her first career start against CSU Bakersfield and responded with a season-high four kills and six blocks, including a pair of solo stops. She also received a starting assignment at San Diego, where she matched her season best with four additional put-aways while adding a trio of block assists.
> Freshman setter Logan Cary has seen action in 17 sets as a reserve across eight matches thus far, posting a season-high 15 assists and seven digs at San Diego.
> Freshman middle blocker Lauranta Iyalekhue made her first two collegiate appearances, Sept. 18-19, when she played in one set apiece vs. Arizona and at USD.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Oregon State (8-6, 3-0 Pac-12) extended its conference-opening winning streak to three straight matches with a pair of home victories over Texas State and Fresno State last week. The Beavers dispatched the Bobcats by a 3-1 count (24-26, 25-18, 25-21, 25-16) before escaping in a five-set nail-biter (25-12, 21-25, 22-25, 25-20, 15-13) against the Bulldogs, who remain winless in Pac-12 play. This weekend marks the first road trip of Oregon State's conference schedule. For the season, the Beavers are 7-0 at home, 1-3 in true road matches and 0-3 on neutral court. Prior to the 2026 campaign, Oregon State was picked to finish second in the Pac-12 preseason coaches poll. The Beavers and Aztecs played one common opponent in their respective non-conferences schedules, with both teams falling to Arizona. Offensively, OSU is paced by the duo of senior AC Froehlich (3.88/set) and junior Taylor Treahy (3.44/set), who rank third and fifth in the league in kills, respectively, while the sophomore trio of Alana Marrs (2.09/set), Cheyenne Green (2.04/set) and Taray Tela (2.00/set) are also averaging two put-aways or more per frame. In addition, Taray (.368) is slotted second in the Pac-12 in hitting percentage, while Marrs (.333) is tied for sixth. Not to be outdone, senior Jackie Matias leads the Pac-12 in assists (10.32/set), while freshman Isabel Bertelsen occupies the third spot in service aces (0.38/set) and the sixth position in digs (3.66/set). Elsewhere, Marrs ranks sixth in blocks (1.09/set), compiling 49 rejections overall, including 17 solo stops. As a team, Oregon State is perched atop the conference in kills ((13.66/set) and assists (12.21/set) while ranking second in hitting percentage (.232) and third in service aces (1.58/set). In addition, the Beavers are slotted fifth in digs (13.36/set), blocks (2.14/set) and opponent hitting percentage (.199).  Oregon State is under the direction of fourth-year head coach Lindsey Behonick, who guided the Beavers to 19-9 overall record in 2025 and a third-place league finish in their final year as WCC members. Prior to her arrival on the Corvallis campus, Behonick spent 10 years as an assistant at Pittsburgh, where she helped lead the Panthers to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including three consecutive Elite Eight berths (2020, 2021, 2022) and back-to-back trips to the Final Four (2021-22).

> Gonzaga (5-10, 0-3 Pac-12) remains winless in conference play after dropping a five-set heartbreaker to Colorado State at home (25-23, 23-25, 12-25, 26-24, 12-15) in its lone match of the week. In that contest, senior Maggie Rickert set a career high with 36 digs to earn Pac-12 Player of the Week honors. Rickert's performance marked the second-best dig total for a single match in program history. Entering the weekend, the Zags sport a 3-4 record at home, an 0-3 mark on the road and a 2-3 ledger on a neutral court. Prior to Saturday's showdown at SDSU, Gonzaga opens its road trip on Thursday with a clash at Texas State. The Zags and Aztecs faced one common opponent in their respective non-conference schedules, with both sides defeating IU Indy.  SDSU posted a 3-1 triumph over the Jaguars in its season opener at the Husky Invitational in Seattle, while GU survived a five-set battle at the UTSA Tournament in Texas. Prior to the 2026 campaign, the Zags were picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12 preseason coaches poll. Entering the week, junior Claire Wagstaff ranks second in the league in both kills (3.90/set) and service aces (0.45) while compiling a team-high 51.0 blocks (0.88/set), including eight solo rejections. In addition, freshmen Veronica Kjaer Sorensen (2.57/set) and Megan Deveaux (2.51/set) are averaging over two put-aways per frame. Elsewhere, freshman Dani Clewis is slotted fifth in the Pac-12 in assists (7.81/set) and 10th in service aces (0.32/set), while Rickert ranks seventh in digs (3.11/set). Collectively, Gonzaga leads the conference in service aces (1.60/set), while occupying the fourth spot in kills (12.70/set), assists (11.82/set), hitting percentage (.214) and digs (13.75/set). Additionally, the Zags are slotted sixth in blocks (2.07/set) and opponent hitting percentage (.217). GU is under the direction of second-year head coach JT Wenger, who spent the previous eight seasons in the same capacity at UT Arlington, where he guided the Mavericks to the 2024 Western Athletic Conference title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Wenger played collegiately for the UCLA men's volleyball program from 2000-04, where he was part of a Bruin program that claimed a national championship in 2000 and a national runner-up finish in 2001.

ON THE HORIZON
> Following this weekend's action, San Diego State continues its homestand next week when Utah State (Oct. 15) and Texas State (Oct. 17) invade Peterson Gym.

HEAD COACH BRENT HILLIARD
Now in his seventh year on The Mesa, head coach Brent Hilliard and the San Diego State volleyball program begin a new chapter this fall when the Aztecs embark on their inaugural season in the Pac-12 Conference.

In its final Mountain West campaign, Hilliard directed SDSU to its second straight conference tournament appearance and third in the last four years when the Aztecs secured the No. 6 seed at the 2025 MW Championship.

Facing third-seeded Wyoming in the opening round, SDSU recorded a statement win with a 3-0 upset of the Cowgirls before falling to No. 2 seed Colorado State in a tight four-set battle in the semifinals.

Under Hilliard’s tutelage, opposite hitter Taylor Underwood garnered first-team all-Mountain West accolades for the third year in row after leading the Scarlet and Black with 3.47 kills per set, which ranked seventh in the league.

With her 364 overall kills, Underwood surpassed the 1,000-kill plateau in an SDSU uniform after transferring from DePaul in 2023 and became the first Aztec player to record 300 put-aways in three straight seasons since Deja Harris (2016-18).

Not to be outdone, Hilliard oversaw the development of freshman libero Zara Stewart, a prized recruit who earned first-team all-MW honors after ranking fifth in the conference with 3.70 digs per set (455 overall).

Scholastic achievement has been a trademark for the Aztec volleyball program, and the 2025 campaign was no different, as 11 players earned spots on the Mountain West all-academic team following the fall semester, including Underwood and Campbell Hague, who also landed on the College Sports Communicators academic all-district team.