MATCHES 22 & 23
Boise State (14-7, 6-4) at San José State (7-12, 2-6)
Spartan Gym, San Jose, Calif.
Thursday, October 31
6:00 p.m. PT
Wear a costume, get discounted admission.
Junior Spartans - free candy after the match
Free pizza for the first 50 students
Live Stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=270698
Live video -https://watchstadium.com/live/boise-state-at-san-jose-state-2/
Utah State (2-20, 2-8) at San José State (7-14, 2-8)
Spartan Gym, San Jose, Calif.
Saturday, November 2
2:00 p.m. PT
Alumni Match - Craig Choate honored pre-match.
Junior Spartans - Autographs after the match
Live stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=270699
Live video - https://watchstadium.com/live/utah-state-at-san-jose-state-2/
GOBLINS & GHOSTS & SPARTANS & VOLLEYBALL THIS WEEK : The Spartan volleyball team hosts three matches over the next 10 days. San José State starts with a spooky match up against Boise State on Halloween, followed by a revenge game against Utah State Saturday afternoon. The team concludes the home stand next week against Nevada on Tuesday.
San José State is looking to start a new winning streak after losing at the top-two teams in the Mountain West last week - #14 Colorado State and Wyoming by the same 3-0 scores.
LIVE VIDEO: Both matches will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network this week. Fans can access the stream on the Spartan website at www.sjsuspartans.com/watch and select "Mountain West Network."
FORMER SPARTAN HEAD COACH TO BE HONORED: As part of the alumni match on Saturday, former San José State head coach Craig Choate will be honored in a pre-match ceremony. Choate was the head coach of the Spartans from 1993 to 2006. He recorded the most wins in school history with 244 wins and has a .561 winning percentage (255-191).
Choate guided the Spartans to three NCAA Tournaments (1999, 2000, 2001), five 20-win seasons and nine winning seasons. The 1999 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, two of his Spartan teams played in the championship match of the WAC Tournament. The 1994 team finished second at the National Invitational Volleyball Championships.
ABOUT BOISE STATE: The Broncos enter Thursday night's match with a 14-7 overall record and 6-4 MW mark, good for fourth in the standings. The team brings a two-match winning streak to San Jose after winning at San Diego State (3-2) and at Fresno State (3-0) last week. Head coach Shawn Garus is in his 11th season at the school with a 192-139 record. He just recorded his 300th career win last Saturday night in 19 seasons as a head coach.
Boise State Leaders
Hit % .374 Janell Walley
Kills 247, 3.34 ps Janell Walley
Assists 793, 10.04 ps Danielle Boss
Aces 26, 0.33 ps Danielle Boss
Digs 252, 3.41 ps Allison Casillas
Blocks 120, 1.56 ps Jessica Donahue
Series Record - Boise State leads the series 19-17.
First Meeting -L, 3-1, September 20, 1997, Moraga, Calif.
Last Meeting - L, 3-1, October 5, 2019, Bronco Gym, Boise
Last SJSU Win - W, 3-0, October 27, 2018, Bronco Gym, Boise
Current Streak - L1
Last 10 meetings - 2-8
2019 meeting: The Broncos won the earlier meeting, 3-1, in Boise on October 5. Haylee Nelson led the Spartans with 17 kills and five blocks, while Latahevai Lousi added 11 kills and four blocks.
ABOUT UTAH STATE: The Aggies begin the week with a 2-20 overall record and 2-8 MW record. The team plays at Nevada Thursday night and has a four-match losing streak to begin the week. The two MW wins came against the Spartans (3-2) and at New Mexico (3-2). Head coach Grayson DuBose is in his 14th season at the school.
Utah State Leaders
Hit % .186 Izzie Belnap
Kills 130, 1.62 ps Bailey Downing
Assists 433, 5.62 Heidi Carpenter
Aces 22, 0.29 ps Heidi Carpenter
Digs 254, 3.14 ps Grace Dubay
Blocks 89, 1.11 ps Bailey Downing
Series Record - Utah State leads the series 22-21-1.
First Meeting -T, 1-1, November 3, 1979, Los Angeles, Calif.
Last Meeting - L, 3-2, October 3, 2017, Logan, Utah
Last SJSU Win - 3-1, October 25, 2018, Logan, Utah
Current Streak - L1
Last 10 meetings - 2-8
2019 meetings: Five Spartan hitters recorded 10 or more kills in the earlier meeting this season, but Utah State overcame an 0-2 deficit to win 3-2. Haylee Nelson led SJSU with 17 kills.
HEAD COACH JOLENE SHEPARDSON: San José State head coach Jolene Shepardson is in her sixth season at the helm of the program and ninth as a head coach. She has a 69-100 record in six seasons at SJSU, and a 112-147 coaching record in nine seasons. Her 50th SJSU win was a 3-2 win over Pacific on September 8, 2018. UP NEXT: The Spartans continue at home next week with a match against Nevada on Tuesday, November 5, at 6 p.m. The team then plays at Air Force on Thursday, November 7, at 6:30 p.m. MT/5:30 p.m. PT. The team does not play on Saturday, November 9.