By Taylor Lupetti (@tayclupetti):
The Spartans (14-7, 6-4 MW) are home for the second week in a row to take on Fresno State (9-13, 4-6 MW) on Thursday and San Diego State (11-12, 5-5 MW) on Saturday.
After sweeping University of Nevada, Reno and Air Force last week, SJSU is looking to continue its winning streak as it heads into the weekend.
While Fresno State is considered SJSU’s rival, the Spartans do not treat any teams differently and are sticking to their normal game plan and practice regiment, which seems to be working for them. The last time SJSU went against the Aztecs and the Bulldogs, it swept the weekend with a 3-1 win against Fresno and 3-2 victory against SDSU.
The back-to-back wins for the Spartans last weekend allowed them keep ahold of third place in the Mountain West. SDSU is tied for fourth in the conference with Boise State and is looking to extend its two-game winning streak as well. Fresno lost to Boise State last weekend and is tied for sixth place with three other teams.
SJSU lost junior starting outside hitter Giulia Gavio, during Thursday’s game against Air Force to an injury during the game. Gavio will not be back on the court this weekend.
Leading the Spartans this weekend is senior middle blocker Nandyala Gama, who leads the team in kills with 279. Another leader for the team with 324 digs is junior libero Luiza Andrade.
With Gavio out for at least the weekend, sophomore outside hitter Fernanda Vido will be the one to watch for in her stead. After coming off a three-week injury, Vido has been leading her team in kills, showing that the time off has not slowed her down.
The match against Fresno starts Thursday at 6 p.m in Spartan Gym. The Spartans will then return on Saturday at 2 p.m. to take on the Aztecs.