Aztec’s Set for Monday Matchup vs. Fresno State
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SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State volleyball team continues its busy stretch with the penultimate match of its homestand on Monday, Nov. 7, when it plays host to Fresno State at a special starting time of 5 pm PT.
The Aztecs split two encounters last week, defeating Boise State in four sets (25-19, 25-23, 20-25, 25-21) on Thursday to snap a three-match slide against the Broncos, before suffering a reversal of fortune two days later in a 3-1 setback to Utah State (27-25, 18-25, 18-25, 14-25).
With the results, SDSU (7-18, 5-9 MW) finds itself in a tie for eighth place with New Mexico in the conference race, trailing Wyoming, Boise State and Nevada, all of which are tied for fifth at 6-8 , as the top six teams qualify for the Mountain West tournament later this month.
Individually, Kayla Rivera hit .327 for the week, blasting a team-high 25 kills (3.12/set) to go with nine block assists and two aces. Against Boise State, the Aztec opposite hitter matched her season-best with 13 put-aways while tying her career high with two aces. In the second set vs. the Broncos, Rivera posted a .571 efficiency, launching five kills in seven attempts during that stretch, helping the Scarlet and Black grab a 2-0 lead it would not relinquish.
The Ventura, California, native came back with 12 additional kills against Utah State to tie for match-high honors, extending her streak to six straight outings with double-digit put-aways.
Heading into Monday’s match, Rivera leads the Aztecs with 225 kills for the season and ranks second with 2.39 put-aways per set, trailing Madison Corf (2.56/set, 220 overall), while Heipua Tautua’a (2.29/set, 199 overall ) and Mikela Labno (2.23/set, 196 overall) are also averaging over two kills per set.
Not to be outdone, Julia Haynie has moved into the second spot in the conference with a .369 hitting percentage, while Elly Schraeder is slotted seventh with 1.07 blocks per set. In addition, Ellie Geoghegan ranks eighth in the MW with 3.18 digs per frame.
After recording nine digs against Boise State, Geoghegan had her streak of consecutive matches with double-digit scoops snapped at seven straight. Still, the Aztec libero has averaged 4.48 digs per set in her last eight outings, 1.3 more digs per frame than her season average.
Through 14 MW matches, San Diego State ranks fifth in the conference in kills (12.89/set), assists (11.85/set) and service aces (1.40/set), while occupying the seventh slot in hitting percentage (.198).
Meanwhile, Fresno State (7-19, 1-13 MW) collected its first league victory with a four-set triumph over visiting Boise State (25-10, 25-20, 23-25, 25-15) on Saturday. The Bulldogs have compiled a 3-8 record at home and a combined 4-11 ledger in road/neutral matches.
Offensively, Fresno State is led by sophomore outside hitter Ella Rud, who ranks sixth in the Mountain West for all matches with 3.38 kills per set, while senior Grace Doyle is averaging 2.67 kills per frame and tops all Bulldog regulars with a .285 hitting percentage .
At the net, junior middle blocker Kasey Purrey ranks third in the conference for the season with 1.18 blocks per set, while sophomores Sydney Gazzaniga (3.18 digs/set) and Brooke Cowie (5.63 assists/set) are slotted ninth in their statistical categories at the libero and setter positions, respectively.
In MW matches, Fresno State is perched atop the league with 2.49 blocks per set but ranks just eighth in hitting percentage (.185) while occupying the ninth position in kills (11.47/set) and assists (10.34/set).
The Bulldogs are under the guidance of interim head coach Abbie Wright, who spent the previous five seasons at Division II Seattle Pacific, where they compiled a 65-62 record. Prior to her tenure in the Emerald City, Wright served as an assistant coach at her alma mater Biola University from 2013-16.
Since 1976, San Diego State leads the all-time varsity series 34-17 after posting a 3-0 whitewash (25-18, 25-21, 25-21) in Fresno in the last meeting between the squads on Sept. 27.
Collectively, the Aztecs posted their highest hitting percentage of the 2022 campaign with a .349 clip, maintaining a 42-38 advantage in kills to go with a season-best 10 service aces to complete their first sweep in the Central Valley since 1996.
Individually, SDSU was led by Labno’s 12 kills, while McKenna Douglas set a career-high with five service aces. In addition, the Aztecs received nine kills and two blocks assists from Rivera, while Haynie (2 block assists) hit .636 after launching seven non-returnables of her own in 11 swings without an error.
Following Monday’s match, San Diego State closes out the home portion of its regular-season schedule on Thursday, Nov. 10, when it welcomes UNLV conference leader for a Mountain West clash, starting at 7 pm PT. Prior to their meeting with the Rebels, the Aztecs will conduct a special Senior Night ceremony.