Heipua Tautua'a Season 2021

HONORS
Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week (11-21-22)

2022 SEASON (As A Junior): Started 26 of 30 matches, playing in 110 sets during her third season on The Mesa … Maintained her resourcefulness on both offense and defense as evidenced by a team-high seven double-doubles … Ranked second on the Aztecs in digs (244) while occupying the third position in kills (260), kills per set (2.36) and digs per set (2.22) … Was also slotted fourth on the squad with 39.0 total blocks, including 13 solo stops … Additionally finished second on the team with double-digit kills in 13 matches and recorded 10 or more digs on eight occasions … Led the Scarlet and Black in kills six times and topped the squad in digs in five matches … Tied for the third spot on the team with 19 service aces … Recorded double-figure kill totals in six of her first nine starts of the season, highlighted by a double-double vs. UC San Diego at the SDSU Invitational when she compiled 14 kills and 10 digs in a four-set Aztec victory (8-27-22) … Set a career high with four service aces against Pepperdine at the Waves’ ASICS Classic (9-3-22) … Posted a .300 hitting percentage with 14 kills in 30 attempts vs. Maryland at the Aztec Classic (9-9-22) … Just missed a double-double against the Terrapins after racking up nine digs … Opened a stretch of four straight outings with double-digit kills after posting 12 put-aways and 15 digs in a four-set win at home over Air Force, helping the Scarlet and Black snap a five-match slide (10-22-22) … Followed that effort with another double-double at Colorado State where she totaled 14 kills, 15 digs along with a pair of blocks (10-27-22) … Blasted 10 kills two days later at Wyoming, as the Aztecs broke a seven-match losing streak to the Cowgirls and emerged triumphant for the first time in 10 visits to Laramie dating back to 2012 (10-29-22) … Knocked down 11 more kills in SDSU’s 3-1 home victory over Boise State (11-3-22) … Earned Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career after combining for a team-high 32 kills (4.00/set) and a .276 hitting percentage in a pair of crucial road wins at Nevada and San José State to end the regular season … Launched 13 kills and scooped up eight digs against the Wolf Pack  (11-17-22) … Floored five shots against one error in nine attempts for a .444 efficiency during the decisive fourth set … Came through with a career-high 19 kills and a season-best .405 hitting percentage in a must-win situation against the Spartans two days later, as the Aztecs clinched a spot in the Mountain West Championship (11-19-22) … Also completed another double-double with 16 digs, helping the Aztecs hand SJSU its lone defeat at home during the 2022 campaign … Set the tone with six put-aways in the opening set vs. the Spartans, taking matters into her own hands with three kills and a solo block down the stretch, as SDSU overcame a 20-18 deficit with a strong 7-3 closing run … Notched her final double-double of the year after compiling 10 kills and a career-high 23 digs to with two service aces and a pair of blocks in the Aztecs’ 3-2 upset over host and No. 3 seed Colorado State in the first round of the MW tournament (11-23-22) … Finished the year with eight kills and 10 digs vs. San José State in the conference semifinals (11-24-22).

2021 FALL SEASON (As A Sophomore): Cracked the starting lineup in 29 of the Aztecs’ 30 matches, appearing in 106 of 109 sets … Continued to display her tremendous versatility by finishing second on the team in kills (208), digs (239) and digs per set (2.28) while occupying the third spot in kills per set (1.96) and double-doubles (3) … Also ranked fourth on the squad with 34 block assists … Was additionally tops among all SDSU regulars with a .947 reception percentage … Compiled double-digit digs in 11 matches and surpassed double figures in kills on six occasions … Registered a season-best .409 hitting percentage, knocking down 11 kills with just two errors in 22 attempts to help the Aztecs win their first match of the year in a three-set sweep over host UC Santa Barbara at the Gaucho Invitational (9-3-21) … Tied her career-high with two service aces and amassed 11 digs in another road sweep at Nevada (9-23-21) … Handed out a collegiate-best five setting assists vs. Fresno State (10-7-21) … Recorded season highs of 14 kills and 36 attempts to go with 12 digs vs. Boise State (10-30-21) … Collected a season-best 18 digs at Air Force, capping a five-match streak of 10 or more scoops (11-11-21).

2021 SPRING SEASON (As A Freshman): Started all 14 matches she played during her rookie campaign on The Mesa, appearing in 49 sets … Ranked second on the Aztecs with 99 kills and 140 digs (2.86/set), while her average of 2.02 kills per set was good for third on the team … Also finished fourth on the squad with 25 assists and tied for the fourth spot with 15 total blocks and six service aces … Recorded a career-high 22 digs in SDSU’s four-set home victory over New Mexico (2-19-21) … Tied for match-high honors with a collegiate-best 15 kills in the opener of a home series vs. Nevada (2-26-21) … Helped the Aztecs snap a five-match losing streak with her first career double-double, totaling 11 kills and 11 digs in a five-set thriller over Utah State (3-12-21) ... Turned in a superlative effort in SDSU’s five-set upset at Boise State with 14 kills, nine digs and a career-high six block assists (3-20-21) … Also posted the Aztecs’ highest individual hitting percentage of the year in that match vs. the Broncos (min. 12 kills) with a .462 clip and tied her season best with two service aces.

HIGH SCHOOL: A multisport athlete who won two letters in volleyball at Wai’anae High School under head coach Wilhelm Wagner … Garnered first-team all-Western Division accolades from the O'ahu Interscholastic Association in 2018 and landed on the AVCA Phenom Watch List … Recipient of 2018 Spectrum OC16 Sports Impact Player Award … Also earned one varsity letter as a left fielder for the WHS softball team … Excelled in the classroom as well, graduating cum laude while meriting STEM honors.

CLUB: Has experienced tremendous success at the junior level, collecting Most Valuable Player honors at the 2019 Girls Junior National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, after leading her Spike and Serve Volleyball Club 16s team to the American Division title … Also earned a spot on the USA Volleyball Girls' Youth A1 National Training Team in 2018-19 … Competed for the Spike and Serve VBC 17s squad that captured the Aloha Region Power League championship in January 2020 and played for the club's 16U team that took home the crown at the Duke's OceanFest Beach Volleyball Tournament in 2016.

PERSONAL: Heipua Tautua’a was born in Honolulu, Hawai’i … Parents are Francis and Brandy Tautua’a … Hails from a volleyball family, with siblings Haiti, Francis and Richard competing for the Spike and Serve Volleyball Club as well … Lists Jenia Grebennikov, Taylor Sander and Kelsey Robinson as her favorite athletes … A heavily recruited player who chose the Aztecs over a plethora of schools, including West Virginia, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, Denver, Pacific, Temple and Eastern Washington, along with Mountain West rivals, Fresno State, New Mexico, UNLV, Utah State and San José State … Intends to major in kinesiology at SDSU with career plans to become a nurse.