MATCHES 16 & 17
San José State (5-10, 0-4) at Nevada (13-3, 3-1)
Virginia Street Gym, Reno, Nev.
Tuesday, October 8
6:00 p.m. PT
Live Stats - https://nevadawolfpack.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Live video - https://watchstadium.com/live/san-jose-state-at-nevada-3/
Air Force (4-12, 1-3) at San José State (5-10, 0-4)
Spartan Gym, San Jose, Calif.
Saturday, October 12
2:00 p.m. PT
Live stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=270695
Live video - https://sjsuspartans.com/sports/2018/7/31/mountain-west-digital-network.aspx
SPARTANS SPLIT WEEK AGAIN, ON THE ROAD TUESDAY, HOME SATURDAY: The Spartans have another split travel week for the second time in three weeks during Mountain West play. The team plays at Nevada Tuesday night, off on Thursday night and hosts Air Force Saturday afternoon at Spartan Gym.
San José State is looking to break a five-match losing streak after falling twice last week on the road - 2-3 at Utah State and 1-3 at Boise State.
LIVE STATS: Live stat links for all matches are available on the San José State website at https://sjsuspartans.com/schedule.aspx?path=wvball.
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."
SMEVOG HONORED BY MOUNTAIN WEST: Sophomore libero Sarah Smevog has been named the Mountain West Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week.Smevog averaged 6.11 digs, 0.33 service aces and 1.11 assists for the Spartans last week in two matches.
She had a career best 35 digs at Utah State Thursday night, tying for the seventh highest total in school history. Smevog is the fifth Spartan in school history to record 35 digs in a match.
At Boise State, Smevog added 20 digs in four sets and recorded three service aces in four serves during the third set. She added five assists in each match.
ABOUT NEVADA: The Wolf Pack enter Tuesday night's match with a 13-3 overall record and are tied for second in the MW standings at 3-1. The team won at Boise State, 3-1, and at Utah State, 3-0, last week. Head coach Lee Nelson is in his fifth year at the helm of the program
Nevada Leaders
Hit % .331 Sydney Petersen
Kills 211, 3.70 ps Kayla Afoa
Assists 606, 10.63 ps Dalyn Burns
Aces 18, 0.34 ps Kaila Spevak
Digs 213, 3.74 ps Kayla Afoa, Ryan Blackwood
Blocks 79, 1.39 ps Sydney Petersen
Series Record - San José State leads 30-22.
First Meeting - W, 2-0, October 7, 1978, Berkeley, Calif.
Last Meeting - W, 3-1, November 6, 2018, Virginia Street Gym
Last SJSU Win - 3-1, November 6, 2018, Virginia Street Gym
Current Streak - Won 3
Last 10 Matches: 4-6
2018 meeting: The Spartans won both meetings by identical 3-1 scores.
ABOUT AIR FORCE: The Falcons begin the week with a 4-12 overall record and a 1-3 MW mark. The team plays at Nevada Thursday before visiting San Jose. Air Force lost twice last week, 3-2 at Wyoming and 3-1 at Colorado State. Head coach Keith Barnett is in his first year at the helm of the program after serving as the assistant and associate head coach the past four years.
Air Force Leaders
Hit % .243 Taleah Cooper
Kills 161, 2.93 ps Bailey Keith
Assists 507, 8.74 ps Andi Ahlers
Aces 14, 0.23 ps Alex King
Digs 273, 4.40 ps Alex King
Blocks 35, 0.64 ps Bailey Keith
Series Record - San José State leads 11-4.
First Meeting - W, 3-0, October 12, 1996, The Event Center, San Jose, Calif.
Last Meeting - W, 3-0, November 10, 2018, Spartan Gym
Last SJSU Win - W, 3-0, November 10, 2018, Spartan Gym
Current Streak - Won 6
Last 10 matches: 7-3
2018 meeting: The Spartans won both meetings last year, 3-2 at Air Force in October and 3-0 inside Spartan Gym in the final home match of the 2018 season.
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 67-96 record in six seasons at SJSU, and a 110-143 coaching record in nine seasons. She recorded her 50th win at San José State with a 3-2 win over Pacific on September 8, 2018.
SMEVOG DIGGIN' THE BALL: In her first season as the Spartans' full-time libero, Sarah Smevog has recorded two 30+ dig matches. She recorded 35 digs in a loss at Utah State on October 3. Smevog is the fifth Spartan in school history to record 35 digs in a match, the seventh-highest total in school history.
Smevog recorded 34 digs in win over North Texas. She is third Spartan to record 34 digs in a match, joining Jessie Shull (9/16/06) and Barbara Higgs (9/26/87). Smevog is now the 10th player in school history to record 34 or more digs in a match.
35 Sarah Smevog, at Utah State, 10/3/19
Hanah Blume, vs. Campbell, 8/31/13
Courtney Zellmer, vs. Gonzaga, 8/28/10
Jessie Shull, at San Francisco, 9/1/04
Dawnis Wilson, at Santa Clara, 10/15/91
34 Sarah Smevog, vs. North Texas, 9/6/19
Jessie Shull, vs. CS Northridge, 9/16/06
Barbara Higgins, vs. UC Santa Barbara, 9/26/87
UP NEXT: The Spartans stay at home next week for two matches. The team hosts UNLV on Thursday the 17th at 6 p.m., and New Mexico on the 19th at noon. Both matches will be played in Spartan Gym, located on the corner of Fourth and San Carlos Streets. The matches are also part of Spartanpalooza, a week of activities for Homecoming and leading up to the football game on the 19th against San Diego State at 4 p.m.