Aztecs Host Fresno State to Wrap Up Homestand

SAN DIEGO -- Victorious in nine of its last 10 matches, the San Diego State volleyball team wraps up its homestand on Thursday, Nov. 5, when it battles Fresno State in a Pac-12 showdown at Peterson Gym. First serve is set for 6 p.m. PT.

Along with live stats, the Aztecs-Bulldogs clash will air live on the Pac-12 YouTube Channel, with links available on GoAztecs.com.

Thursday's Fresno State-SDSU match has been designated Fan and Staff Appreciation Night. All San Diego State staff members will receive free admission when they show their Red ID at the door. In addition, those patrons in attendance can enter to win Aztec gear and other prizes throughout the evening.

The Aztecs will be looking to complete a season sweep of its third Pac-12 opponent this season after accomplishing the feat vs. Gonzaga (Oct. 10/Oct. 24) and Washington State (Oct. 3/Oct. 31).

OPENING SERVE
> SDSU had its eight-match winning streak snapped in a three-set loss to Boise State on Oct. 29 (19-25, 23-25, 21-25) before rebounding with a 3-1 triumph over Washington State two days later (25-17, 25-13, 23-25, 25-22).
> Despite the split, the Aztecs still maintain a solid grip on second place in the Pac-12 standings with a 9-2 record, two games behind front-runner Colorado State (11-0).
> Individually, SDSU earned two conference weekly awards on Nov. 3, as Layla Austin received Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week recognition, while Kendall Mairs was named the league's Setter of the Week for the fifth time this season.
> Austin led the Pac-12 with 35 points last week (29 kills, four aces, two block assists) and tied for the top spot with 5.00 points per set, while Mairs paced the conference with 80 assists and 11.43 assists per set while ranking fourth in digs (3.71/set).
> Not to be outdone, Ella Schabort also blasted 29 kills in two matches last week. The Aztec senior surpassed the 1,000-kill plateau for her career after launching 15 put-aways vs. Boise State and broke the 500-kill barrier in a Scarlet and Black uniform two days later with 14 terminations against WSU. 
> A 2025 transfer from Binghamton, Schabort has posted 1,026 kills as a collegian, including 509 at SDSU.
> In addition, the Aztec cause was aided by Zara Stewart, who led Pac-12 with 35 digs last week and ranked second with 5.00 digs per set. The SDSU sophomore led all players with 19 digs vs. Boise State and also collected a match-high 16 scoops against WSU.
>    The Aztecs have recorded a .300 hitting percentage or greater in seven matches already this season after surpassing that barrier just four times during the entire 2025 campaign.

SERIES RECORD
> San Diego State leads the all-time series against Fresno State 40-20 in 60 varsity meetings dating back to 1976.
> The Aztecs have won five straight vs. the Bulldogs and have posted three consecutive sweeps, including a 3-0 whitewash in Fresno earlier this season on Sept. 26 (25-23, 25-18, 25-18)
> In that contest, SDSU posted a .316 hitting percentage, maintaining the statistical advantage in most categories, including kills (47-28), service aces (6-3), digs (40-28) and team blocks (6.0 to 4.0).
> Ella Schabort led the Aztecs with 12 kills, while Tessa Schouten tied her career-best with 11 put-aways of her own. In addition, the Scarlet and Black received nine kills from Annelise Rising in her first start of the year, while Taelyn Bentley floored six shots and finished with three blocks, including a pair of solo efforts.
> Not to be outdone, Zara Stewart continued her stellar play with a match-high 16 digs, while Kendall Mairs led all players with 33 assists and three service aces.
> The teams traded punches early in set three, combining for five ties and pair of lead changes before the Aztecs gradually seized control. Trailing 8-7, SDSU vaulted in front for good with five straight points, courtesy of a Bulldog service error, a Bentley solo block, two aces by Mairs and a Schabort kill.
> The Aztecs ultimately extended their lead to eight on two occasions, including a 19-11 advantage after a Fresno State service error. The Bulldogs never drew closer than five points the rest of the way, as two late kills by Layla Austin and two others by Bentley and Schabort helped the Scarlet and Black complete its fourth sweep of the year.
> In 2024, the Aztecs also recorded a four-set victory against Fresno State in the first round of the Mountain West tournament.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
> Since the beginning of the 2009 campaign, Aztecs have amassed a 139-95 (.594) 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 owns a 5-2 record at home this season, with two remaining regular-season contests at Peterson Gym vs. Fresno State (Nov. 5) and Colorado State (Nov. 14).

SDSU IN PAC-12 RANKINGS
> As of Nov. 4, Taelyn Bentley still leads the in the Pac-12 with a .409 hitting percentage for all matches and is slotted ninth in blocks (0.94/set).
> In addition, Kendall Mairs finds herself among the conference leaders in three categories, ranking second in assists (9.97/set), eighth in service aces (0.30/set) and ninth in digs (2.96/set).
> Elsewhere, Zara Stewart has climbed to third in the Pac-12 rankings in digs (3.58/set), while Ella Schabort (3.53/set) and Layla Austin (3.34/set) are slotted fourth and sixth in kills, respectively.
> As a team, SDSU leads the league for all matches in assists (12.55/set) while ranking second in kills (13.51/set), hitting percentage (.232) and digs (13.95).
> The Aztecs boast three of the top hitting percentages in the conference thus far, including a .435 clip against Texas State, which is tied for the top spot, while their .407 efficiency at Santa Clara is slotted third. In addition, SDSU's .389 attack percentage in its first meeting with Gonzaga is tied for sixth. 
> The Aztecs' 69 kills against Utah State represent the eighth-highest team total for all matches, while their 65 put-aways and 62 assists at Boise State mark the second-best figures for a four-set match in those respective categories.
> In addition, SDSU's 19 team blocks vs. Utah State are tied for the second-best figure in the Pac-12.
> The Aztecs' 57 digs against UC Davis are tied for the fourth-highest total 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 are tops for a three-set match.
> In addition, Layla Austin's .586 efficiency (18-1-29) against UC Irvine ranks eighth in the league, while her 18 kills from that outing are slotted second for a three-set match.
> Not to be outdone, Kendall Mairs dished out a career-high 53 assists against Utah State, which is tied for sixth for all matches.
> Elsewhere, Taelyn Bentley came up with a career-best 11 blocks against Utah State, which ranks third in the Pac-12 thus far.
> Zara Stewart has recorded the third-highest dig-total in the league for a four-set match with 21 scoops against IU Indy.
> Through 11 conference matches this season. San Diego State leads the Pac-12 in kills (14.18/set), assists (13.10/set) and hitting percentage (.258) while ranking second with a .189 opponent efficiency.
> In addition, the Aztecs are slotted fourth in blocks (2.26/set) and fifth in digs (13.41/set) during conference play.
> Individually, Kendall Mairs leads the Pac-12 in assists (11.00/set) against league foes, while Tessa Schouten tops the league with a .434 hitting percentage, followed by Taelyn Bentley (.431), who follows in third.

AUSTIN AWESOME
> Freshman sensation Layla Austin has made an immediate impact in her first season with the Aztecs, ranking sixth among the Pac-12 leaders this week with an average of 3.34 kills per set for all matches.
> A former prep All-American from Southlake, Texas, Austin has led the Scarlet and Black with double-digit kills in 15 of 21 matches this year, highlighted by a collegiate-best 21 put-aways against Washington State at home on Oct. 31.
> With her performance, Austin garnered Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week accolades.
> In addition, Austin became the first SDSU player to surpass the 20-kill plateau since Taylor Underwood accomplished the feat with 22 non-returnables at Grand Canyon on Nov. 6, 2025.
> Earlier this season, Austin launched 18 kills vs. UC Irvine at the Husky Invitational, committing just one error in 39 attempts for a .586 hitting percentage, which marks the eighth-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 four of the Aztecs' other top 10 hitting percentages of the season (min. 12 kills), including a .500 clip vs. Oregon State (13-2-22), a .462 efficiency against Texas State (15-3-26), a .406 pace (17-4-32) at Boise State and a .400 clip (17-5-30) vs. IU Indy.
> Not to be outdone, Austin ranks third on the squad with 175 digs (2.27/set), highlighted by a career-best 20 scoops vs. Cal on Sept. 12.

ODDS AND ENDS
> The Aztecs have held 20 of 21 opponents under a .300 hitting percentage this year. SDSU allowed its lone adversary to hit over .300 when Colorado State posted a .317 efficiency on Sept. 24.
> The Aztecs are 10-1 this season when limiting the opposition under a .200 efficiency, Last year, SDSU went 9-4 when holding opponents to a hitting percentage below .200.
> The Aztecs have won 13 of 14 matches already this season when logging a greater hitting percentage. In 2025, SDSU went 12-2 in matches when finishing with a higher attack percentage for the entire year.
> San Diego State has racked up more blocks than the opposition in 10 matches already, posting a 9-1 record in those encounters, compared to last year when the Aztecs out-blocked opponents in seven matches for the entire 2025 campaign (6-1).
> SDSU is 14-2 this season when blasting more kills than opponents, compared to a 12-6 mark last year.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
> Fresno State (7-14, 2-8 Pac-12) is slotted eighth in the conference race after dropping a pair of three-set decisions at home last week to Oregon State (20-25, 12-25, 18-25) and Colorado State (20-25, 15-25, 15-25). With the results, Bulldogs slip to 2-7 at home this season while maintaining a 3-4 mark on the road and a 2-3  ledger at a neutral site. Individually, Fresno State is led by outside hitter Jenna Legault, who leads the Pac-12 with 48 service aces (0.61/set) which is tied for ninth nationally, while occupying the third spot in the conference with 3.65 kills per set. In addition, junior Olivia Lombardi is slotted seventh in the league with 3.04 digs per set, while senior Anna Bolich (4.37 assists/set) and sophomore Gabby Lombardi (4.12 assists/set) share the setting duties. At the net, freshman Andee May tops the squad in blocks (75.0, 0.93/set), followed by sophomore Brooklyn Washington (63.0, 0.80/set). Entering the week, the Bulldogs are slotted fourth in the Pac-12 as a team in blocks (2.20/set) and service aces (1.48/set) but rank eighth in digs (12.51/set) and last in kills (10.88/set) and hitting percentage (.178). Fresno State is guided by fourth-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.

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.