Thursday, September 5
San Diego, Calif.
8 p.m.
DePaul University
at
San Diego State
DePaul Travels to San Diego State Invitational
9/4/2024 2:00:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Blue Demons to face San Diego State, Tulane, and Portland State
CHICAGO - DePaul volleyball continues their six-game road swing with the San Diego State Invitational in San Diego, California from Sept. 5-7. The Blue Demons open competition on Thursday against the host San Diego State, with first serve set for 8 p.m. CT. They will face Tulane at 5 p.m. CT Saturday, and close the tournament with Portland State at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday afternoon. The Thursday evening match will be streamed on Mountain West Network here. Live stats can be found here for the Friday and Saturday matches.
"Our trip out west has been a long time coming," said head coach Marie Zidek.
"I promised our California recruits I would get them home at least once in their career so those that couldn't make it out to Chicago could see them play live in college at least one time. San Diego State will be a unique test for us with their balanced attack. They have multiple attackers that can score and it will test our transition game. Tulane and Portland State bring a freshness of opponent and an opportunity to clash against conferences we would not typically clash with. All three teams will be looking to build off their first weekend, and you can expect to see many players contributing for us as we continue to fuel our narrative of building a team of capability so that everyone can handle the responsibility."
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SCOUTING THE AZTECS (SDSU)
The Blue Demons will return to Lincoln Park for their home opener on Thursday, September 12 against Colorado State. They will finish the weekend with the DePaul / UIC Invite, hosting Brown on Friday, September 13 and Bowling Green on Saturday, September 14.
"Our trip out west has been a long time coming," said head coach Marie Zidek.
"I promised our California recruits I would get them home at least once in their career so those that couldn't make it out to Chicago could see them play live in college at least one time. San Diego State will be a unique test for us with their balanced attack. They have multiple attackers that can score and it will test our transition game. Tulane and Portland State bring a freshness of opponent and an opportunity to clash against conferences we would not typically clash with. All three teams will be looking to build off their first weekend, and you can expect to see many players contributing for us as we continue to fuel our narrative of building a team of capability so that everyone can handle the responsibility."
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SCOUTING THE AZTECS (SDSU)
- The Aztecs opened the 2024 season 2-1 at the Idaho State Tournament, sweeping both host Idaho State and Seattle University, but falling to CSUN in five sets
- The team returns 11 letter-winners from the 2023 squad, including Junior McKenna Douglas who tallied 398 digs for the Aztecs and 3.58 digs/set
- Coach Hilliard enters his fifth year as head coach, with a 34-71 record at SDSU
- The Green Wave posted a 1-2 record in their opening weekend at the Lobo Invitational, falling to UNM and UND in four sets, but earning a five-set match against UC Irvine
- Tulane welcomes seven newcomers to New Orleans in 2024, including graduate student Sami Jacobs, who racked up 42 kills in the Green Wave's opening weekend
- Coach Price enters her second season with the Green Wave, mentoring the program's first AAC Freshman of the Year, Avery Burks, in her inaugural season
- Portland State competed in the Rose City Showdown losing in three sets to UC Berkeley and San Francisco, and narrowly falling to Nevada in a five-set match
- The Vikings were picked to finish fifth in the Big Sky conference, having to replace five starters from their 2023 campaign
- Coach Michael Seemann enters his 18th season at the helm of the Vikings, tallying a .554 winning percentage as head coach
- Thursday marks the second meeting between the Blue Demons and the Aztecs, with the Aztecs earning a sweep at McGrath-Phillips Arena in 2011
- DePaul and Tulane are knotted 5-5 in the all-time series, with DePaul taking the last meeting 3-2 at home in 2004
- The Vikings and Blue Demons had their only previous meeting in Fresno, California in 2016, where Portland State achieved victory in four sets
- Outside hitter Jill Pressly recorded a new single-game career high with 29 kills against Bradley on September 1
- Libero Rachel Krasowski is now 29 digs away from becoming the DePaul volleyball all-time digs leader, with the previous record of 1,950 set by Susanne Fogarty in 1991
- The 3-0 start to the season is DePaul's best since 2019, Coach Zidek's second year with the program
The Blue Demons will return to Lincoln Park for their home opener on Thursday, September 12 against Colorado State. They will finish the weekend with the DePaul / UIC Invite, hosting Brown on Friday, September 13 and Bowling Green on Saturday, September 14.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONSÂ
For all the latest information on DePaul Volleyball, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on X, Instagram and Facebook.Â
TICKET INFORMATIONÂ
Join DePaul Volleyball at McGrath-Phillips Arena this fall and join us in celebrating 50 years of Blue Demon volleyball! Season ticket memberships start at only $45 per seat and include access to all 15 regular season home matches! For an additional $30, upgrade your experience and sit courtside at McGrath-Phillips Arena! Fans can visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets for more information, including single-game tickets and group opportunities.
Players Mentioned
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/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
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/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALLEpisode 24: Marie Zidek, Women's Volleyball
Tuesday, September 02
Bowling Green vs. DePaul - NIVC Great 8
Saturday, December 07
Omaha vs. DePaul - NIVC Second Round
Friday, December 06
Volleyball vs. Omaha - NIVC Super 16
Friday, December 06