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Source: goaztecs.com
Photo courtesy goaztecs.com
May 10, 2023 (San Diego) - San Diego State volleyball head coach Brent Hilliard has released the team’s highly anticipated schedule for the 2023 campaign, with the Aztecs slated to play 30 matches this fall, highlighted by 18 Mountain West clashes, 11 non-conference encounters and one exhibition.
In all, the SDSU’s attractive yet challenging schedule features 12 teams that finished with a winning record last year, combining for a 234-127 ledger (.648), with five of those squads qualifying for postseason play.
After opening with a home exhibition against North Florida (Aug. 22), the Aztecs embark on their regular-season slate in earnest, Aug. 25-27, with the first of four non-conference tournaments, traveling to the Rose City in Oregon for the Portland State Invitational, where they will square off against Cal State Fullerton, Kansas State and the host Vikings, respectively.
SDSU will battle the Titans for the first time since the 2016 campaign, maintaining a decisive 46-5 advantage in the all-time series, before preparing for their second-ever meeting against the Wildcats, who claimed a four-set decision at the ASICS Pepperdine Classic in 2021. The Aztecs will then engage PSU in their weekend finale against a team that finished as the Big Sky Conference tournament runner-up before falling in the first round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. SDSU leads the all-time series 4-0 after defeating the Vikings at home in 2017.
The Aztecs will return to the friendly confines of Peterson Gym the following weekend for the SDSU Invitational, featuring the formidable trio of Oregon (Aug. 31), Pepperdine (Sept. 1) and UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 2).
The Scarlet and Black will open its home tournament against a Ducks squad that compiled a 26-6 overall record in 2022, highlighted by an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Championships. The two sides have not met since the 2016 season, when UO captured a 3-0 at its own Oregon Classic.
Conversely, the Aztecs will face Pepperdine for the third straight season after a 20-year hiatus in the all-time series, which dates back to 1976. SDSU came up empty in a 3-0 loss to the Waves in Malibu last year, slipping to 21-21 in 42 overall meetings. Pepperdine received a berth to NCAA Championships in 2022, suffering a first-round defeat to Stanford.
The Aztecs will also engage a familiar foe when they tangle with the Gauchos in their tournament finale. SDSU had its three-match winning streak vs. UCSB snapped last year at Pepperdine’s ASICS Classic, 3-1. However, the Scarlet and Black still owns a 24-21 advantage in 45 all-time encounters since 1978.
SDSU will make the short drive across town the following weekend for the UCSD Invitational, Sept. 7-9, at LionTree Arena in La Jolla. In addition to the host Tritons, the Aztecs will battle Navy and a team to be determined. Last season, UCSD dropped a 3-1 decision to SDSU in its inaugural volleyball match as a Division I member in Peterson Gym. With the victory, the Aztecs kept their unblemished record against the Tritons intact at 14-0.
On the flip side, this season will mark SDSU’s first meeting against Navy, which advanced to the finals of the Patriot League tournament last fall.
The Aztecs will close out their non-conference slate with a return trip to the Pacific Northwest for the Gonzaga Tournament, Sept. 15-16, in Spokane, Washington.
In addition to the host Zags, whom SDSU defeated at the 2017 Denver Invitational by a 3-2 count, the Scarlet and Black will face Eastern Washington. The Aztecs hold a 4-0 all-time advantage against the Eagles, including a 3-1 triumph in their last meeting at the 2019 GCU Invitational in Phoenix.
San Diego State will then split its first two Mountain West matches the following week when it travels to defending regular-season conference champion UNLV (Sept. 19) before welcoming San José State for its MW home opener (Sept. 23).
With 18 conference matches in an unbalanced schedule, the Aztecs will face each MW school both at home and on the road, except for Boise State (Oct. 19 – home) and Utah State (Oct. 21 – away). The Aggies captured the Mountain West tournament title last year before falling to Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Championships.
SDSU will square off against Air Force (Oct. 5) and New Mexico (Oct. 7), sandwiched between a road trip to Colorado State (Sept. 28) and Wyoming (Sept. 30), along with a weekend excursion to Fresno State (Oct. 12) and Nevada (Oct. 14).
The Aztecs will then add to their frequent flyer mileage with return engagements against New Mexico (Oct. 26) and Air Force (Oct. 28).
After playing the part of road warriors for the bulk of October, SDSU will return to “America Finest City” for its longest homestand of the fall when it hosts Nevada (Nov. 2), Fresno State (Nov. 4), Wyoming (Nov. 9) and Colorado State (Nov. 11) in succession.
The Aztecs once again will split their final two regular-season matches, battling the same two teams they began conference play with—San José State (Nov. 16 – road) and UNLV (Nov. 18 – home).
For the second time in three years, the Mountain West Championship will be held at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada, from Nov. 22-24, with the league’s top six teams vying for the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
San Diego State will be looking to build on a strong finish to the 2022 campaign when it won seven of its final 11 matches and advanced to the semifinals of the MW Championship.
With Coach Hilliard entering his fourth season at the helm, the Aztecs will benefit from the arrival of five talented newcomers, including AVCA High School All-American Natalie Hughes, who joins fellow prep standouts Fatimah Hall, Campbell Hague and Amber Keen, along with DePaul transfer Taylor Underwood.
In addition, SDSU returns 11 letterwinners from last year’s squad, including Madison Corf, who received all-Mountain West honorable mention during her freshman campaign, while fellow outside hitter Heipua Tautua’a is back in the mix as well, along with starting middle blockers Elly Schraeder and Julia Haynie.
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