MATCHES 12 & 13
Utah State (2-11, 0-2) at San José State
Spartan Gym, San Jose, Calif.
Thursday, September 27
6:00 p.m. PT
Mountain West Network
Boise State (9-4, 1-1) at San José State
Spartan Gym, San Jose, Calif.
Saturday, September 29
12:00 p.m. PT
Mountain West Network
Live stats - www.sjsuspartans.com
Live video - Links available at www.sjsuspartans.com/videos
SPARTANS HOST TWO MATCHES DURING HOMECOMING WEEK: The San José State volleyball team hosts two Mountain West match this week as part of Homecoming Festivities and Volleyball Alumni Weekend. The Spartans play Utah State on Thursday at 6 p.m., and Boise State on Saturday at 12 p.m., inside Spartan Gym, located on the corner of Fourth and San Carlos Streets.
The Spartans enter the week with a 5-6 overall record and 0-2 MW record. The team lost its home opener last Thursday to Wyoming, 3-0, before going on the road to Colorado State on Saturday and lost 3-0.
LIVE STATS: Live stat links for all matches are available on the San José State website at www.sjsuspartans.com.
LIVE VIDEO: Both matches will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network with Jess Knaster providing the play-by-play. Fans can access the video on the Spartan website at www.sjsuspartans.com/videos or on the "Stadium" app on iPhone under "Live Events."
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets to all San José State volleyball matches are available the day of the match. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger. For more information, please call the Spartan Athletics Ticket Office at (408) 924-SJTX (7589).
ALUMNI WEEKEND: This weekend is designated as "Alumni Weekend" for the Spartan volleyball program. A variety of activities are planned for the alums on both match days. On Saturday, all alums will be recognized during the Boise State match. For more information, please contact graduate assistant coach and alum Breann Robinson ('18) at breann.robinson@sjsu.edu.
ABOUT UTAH STATE: The Aggies enter Thursday night's match with a 2-11 overall record and 0-2 mark in the conference. The team fell to New Mexico (3-1) and UNLV (3-1) last week. Head coach Grayson DuBose is in his 13th year with a 184 -192 coaching record. Bailey Downing leads the team with 141 kills (2.76 ps), while Corinne is the team's top blocker with 70 (1.37 ps). Three players have 100 or more digs, led by libero Taisa Taylor with 226 (4.35 ps).
Series Record - Series tied at 20-20-1
First Meeting -T, 1-1, November 3, 1979, Los Angeles, Calif.
Last Meeting - L, 3-1, November 18, 2017, Spartan Gym
Last SJSU Win - 3-0, November 5, 2015, Spartan Gym
Current Streak - L2
Last 10 meetings - 2-8
ABOUT BOISE STATE: The Broncos begin the week with a 9-4 overall record and 1-1 mark in the MW. The team plays at Nevada Thursday night before traveling to San Jose. Boise State lost to UNLV (3-0) last Thursday before defeating New Mexico (3-0). Head coach Shawn Garus is in his 10th season at the school with a 169-124 record and has a 284-244 head-coaching record in 18 years. Senior outside hitter Sabryn Roberts leads the team in kills with 185 (4.11 ps) and has 123 digs (2.73 ps) this season. Jessica Donahue leads the team with 61 blocks (1.45 ps).
Series Record - Boise State leads 17-16.
First Meeting -L, 3-1, September 20, 1997, Moraga, Calif.
Last Meeting - L, 3-0, November 15, 2017, Bronco Gym
Last SJSU Win - 3-0, October 9, 2008, Bronco Gym, Boise, Idaho
Current Streak - L14
Last 10 meetings - 0-10
HEAD COACH JOLENE SHEPARDSON: San José State head coach Jolene Shepardson is in her fifth season at the helm of the program. She has a 51-77 record in five seasons at SJSU, and a 94-124 coaching record in eight seasons. Shepardson is six wins away from 100 career coaching wins and recorded her 50th win at San José State with a 3-2 win over Pacific on September 8.
NATIONAL RANKINGS (as of 9/23): Listed below are the Spartans among national leaders.
Individual Rankings (Top 100)
Hitting Percentage Haylee Nelson, 47th .374
Hitting Percentage Thaliana Grajeda, 70th .360
Aces Per Set Luiza Andrade, 48th 0.46 ps
Attacks Per Set Fernanda Vido, 97th 10.26 ps
BARNES MADE IMPACT IN SPARTAN GYM DEBUT: Freshman Whitney Barnes had a successful debut in her first match inside Spartan Gym on September 20. She led the team in kills with nine against Wyoming and added two digs.
NELSON ONE OF TOP MW HITTERS: Freshman Haylee Nelson has made an immediate impact on the Spartan team and the Mountain West with her hitting. She is currently the conference's top hitter at .419. Nationally, Nelson ranks 16th in hitting percentage. She hit a season-high .556 in a win over Jacksonville (12-2-18), .545 versus Alabama State (7-1-11) and .529 versus Pacific (10-1-17).
SUNSHINE STATE: The Spartans made two trips to the state of Florida during the non-conference portion of the schedule. The team went to Tampa to start the season at the USF Invitational. The Spartans played South Florida (L, 3-1), Stony Brook (L, 3-0) and Jacksonville (W, 3-0). The team played at the Owls Classic on September 14 and 15, losing to North Florida (3-2) and Florida Atlantic (3-0) before winning over South Dakota State (3-0).
TOURNAMENT TITLE: The Spartans won the Hampton Inn & Suites Northern Colorado Classic on September 7-8, after going 3-0 at the tournament. The team defeated host Northern Colorado (3-0), Alabama State (3-0) and Pacific (3-2).
COLORADO TRIPS: The Spartans make three trips to the state of Colorado for the 2018 season. The team won the Hampton Inn & Suites Northern Colorado Classic in Greeley on September 7 and 8. San José State returned to the state to play Colorado State last Saturday and fell 3-0. The Spartans final match in the state of Colorado for the season will be on Thursday, October 11, when the Spartans play at the United States Air Force Academy.
ANDRADE HOLDING STEADY AT #4: Senior libero Luiza Andrade is holding onto the fourth spot on the San José State career digs list. She begins the week with 1,309 digs in her three-plus years in a Spartan uniform. Andrade needs 41 digs to catch Kristal Tsukano in third place at 1,350 digs, and 103 digs to get to Dawnis Wilson in second place at 1,412 digs. Andrade is the eighth player in school history to record 1,000 digs in her career.
UP NEXT: San José State goes on the road for two MW matches next week before returning home. The team plays at UNLV next Thursday, October 4, at 6 p.m., and at New Mexico on Saturday, October 6, at 1 p.m. MT/12 p.m. PT. The Spartans then do a quick turnaround and host Nevada on Tuesday, October 9, at 6 p.m. That match will be broadcast on Stadium.