Student-Athletes of the Month Announced for August & September

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San José State Student-Athletes of the Month for August are Haylee Nelson and Nick Starkel, presented by the U.S. Army, while the September honorees are Sarah Smevog and Bende Pardi, presented by Silva Sausage.
 
August – presented by the U.S. Army
Haylee Nelson, Volleyball, Sr., Fremont, Calif./Newark Memorial HS
•Led the Spartans in hitting at .333
•Double-doubles in two matches
•Hit .417 in win over Portland State and recorded four service including a stint where she served the first 10 points of the second set and had three aces during that stretch of the match...
•Hit .313 in the win over Santa Clara where she had 15 kills and 15 digs
•Named to the Oregon Invitational All-Tournament Team
 
Nick Starkel, Football, GR, Argyle, Texas/Arkansas
•Passed for four touchdowns and rushed for one in the Spartans' season-opening 45-14 victory over Southern Utah
•Completed 16-of-27 with an interception for 394 yards and four touchdowns playing the first three quarters of the game
•Earned a quarterback rating of 223.3 - the seventh highest single-game rating in school history.
 
September – presented by Silva Sausage
Sarah Smevog, Volleyball, Sr., Corona, Calif./Santiago HS
•Anchored the Spartan defense as the team went 7-3 for the month
•Averaged 4.57 digs, 0.97 assists and 0.37 aces per set
•Double-digit digs in nine of the 10 matches played including 20+ digs in two matches - 22 at Saint Mary's and 24 at Boise State (both wins)
•Career-best five service aces in a 3-0 win over San Diego State
•Twice named MW Defensive Player of the Week
 
Bende Pardi, Water Polo, Fr., Budapest, Hungary/Baar-Madas HS
•Led the team in scoring for the month with 28 goals in 15 matches
•Scored in 13 of the 15 contests
•Season-high four goals three times during the month
•Scored the match-winning goals against #12 Pepperdine and #9 UC San Diego at the MPSF Invitational
 
2021-22 San José State Student-Athletes of the Month
August (presented by the U.S. Army) – Haylee Nelson, volleyball & Nick Starkel, football
September (presented by Silva Sausage) – Sarah Smevog, volleyball & Bende Pardi, water polo
 
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