Sept. 10, 2014
Normal.dotm0013321896San Jose State University153232812.00false18 pt18 pt00falsefalsefalse
This weekend, the San José State volleyball teams plays in its third tournament of the season as the Spartans travel to San Louis Obispo for the Cal Poly ShareSLO Tournament at the Mott Athletics Center.
A tournament that could be dubbed the “CSU School” tournament, the four teams participating are all part of the California State school system. San José State faces Sacramento State Friday afternoon at 5 p.m., followed by two matches on Saturday – Cal Poly at noon and Bakersfield at 5 p.m.
Sacramento State enters the tournament with a 2-6 record after falling to Nevada, 0-3, Tuesday night. The Mustangs begin the weekend with a 1-4 record. The team started the season with a 3-1 win at Montana, but has lost four-straight matches. Bakersfield started 2014 with wins over Mississippi State and Louisiana-Monroe, but enters the tournament on a five-match losing streak.
San José State faced all three teams last season. The Spartans won 3-0 over the Hornets at the Sacramento State Tournament (9/6/13) but lost to Cal Poly, 3-1, the next day at the tournament.
The Spartans also lost in Bakersfield, 3-1, last October to a team that was coached by current Spartan coaches Jolene and Aaron Shepardson. It will be a reunion of sorts Saturday as the Shepardsons coach against the school they were at for three seasons before coming to San José in January.
In the all-time series, Sacramento State holds an 8-7 advantage over the Spartans, while San José State has an 18-16 lead over Cal Poly and a 4-2 lead over Bakersfield.
San José State comes into the match looking for the first win of the season with a 0-6 record. Tyanna Roy leads the team in kills with 69, 3.45 ps, while Sara Hibbs is the team leader in blocks with 25, 1.25 ps. Breann Robinson averages 5.21 assists per set, while Allison Meehan averages 3.62 aps. Kiely Pieper has 68 digs (3.40 ps), while Yavianliz Rosado has 62 digs (3.10 ps).
Looking ahead, the Spartans travel to the Windy City next weekend, September 19-20, for the Chicago State Tournament. The Spartans play South Dakota State and Chicago State on the 19th, and Grand Canyon and UMass Lowell on the 20th. San Jose State opens Mountain West play with two home matches at the end of the month – New Mexico on the 25th and Air Force on the 27th.