Saturday, August 29
Seattle, Wash.
7:00 PM
University of Washington
2-0,0-0Big Ten
3
vs
0
San Diego State
1-1,0-0Pac-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego St. | 17 | 24 | 20 | 0 |
| Washington | 25 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
Dawgs Sweep SDSU For 2-0 Start
August 29, 2026 | Volleyball
SEATTLE – One night after a comeback victory in the season opener, Husky Volleyball (2-0) turned in a strong performance against the San Diego State Aztecs in a straight-set sweep. The Husky sweep came in front of 2,564 fans at Alaska Airlines Arena by a 25-17, 26-24, 25-20 final tally.
Washington finished the night with 46 kills and a .298 attack percentage. Second-year Simona Mateska led the Huskies with 11 kills while hitting .476, while first-year outside Kylie Kleckner also added 11 kills and seven digs. Third-year middle Julia Hunt recorded 10 kills with second-year Maija Howse adding eight kills and seven block assists. New setter Andrea Fabikovicová tallied 33 assists and 10 digs for a double-double, while first-year libero Kaitlyn Nguyen led the Huskies with 17 digs as Washington finished with 43 digs, 13 total blocks and three aces.
Going into day two of the Husky Invitational, Washington added Simona Mateska to the starting lineup alongside Kaitlyn Nguyen and Kylie Kleckner in the back row. Following a strong performance at the net against UC Irvine, the Huskies again featured Katy Wessels, Julia Hunt, Maija Howse, and Andrea Fabikovicová.
"I just like how we're extending rallies," said Head Coach Leslie Gabriel. "Kaitlyn Nguyen's back there digging some balls and playing with a lot of heart. I'm proud of them just trying to keep the ball off the ground. It was a good back and forth match. Julia had another good night of consistent play, and same with Simona. Kylie is doing a good job, I'm proud of how she's playing. She comes from a good club and high school and is used to winning, and is trying to keep us doing the same up here."
Washington came out strong in the opening set, building a quick 8-0 lead from an immediate Howse kill and another standout defensive performance at the net from Wessels. The Huskies continued to apply pressure as Howse got another kill by sending the ball back over the net as it began to cross, pushing Washington's advantage to 10-1. Nguyen held this pressure from the back row with a crucial save to set up a Kleckner kill, giving Washington a 14-4 lead. Howse and Wessels offense helped extend the Huskies lead to 20-11. As the Aztecs began to find their rhythm, Hunt answered with a kill to push Washington to set point at 24-15 before Mateska closed out the set with a kill. With a 25-17 win, the Huskies hit .314 while recording 14 kills, 13 digs, four blocks and two aces.
The second set proved to be a much tighter battle, with the Huskies and Aztecs trading points throughout. After San Diego State took a 10-9 lead, Kleckner answered with a kill to tie the score at 12-12. The Aztecs and Huskies continued several long rallies as they exchanged leads. Kleckner later tipped the ball over to put Washington ahead 15-14, and Mateska broke another tie with a kill to give the Huskies a 16-15 advantage. Mateska followed with back to back kills to keep Washington within one at 18-19 before Howse and Hunt combined for a block to tie the set at 22-22. Hunt then delivered a kill to give the Huskies set point at 24-23, but the Aztecs responded to tie it once again. Kleckner came through with another kill to put Washington back at set point, 25-24, before Hunt closed out the set with a kill for the 26-24 win, giving the Huskies a two set lead.
The Huskies carried their momentum into the third set, opening with a back-row kill from Mateska before Hunt continued her strong night at the net with a kill to give Washington a 4-3 lead. The set remained competitive early on, but a Howse kill pushed the Huskies ahead 10-8 as Washington began to take control back with a combination of timely kills and blocks. Howse extended the lead to 15-11, followed by a Kleckner and Hunt block that put the Huskies up 17-11. Hunt continued to make an impact offensively, adding another kill to give Washington a 20-13 advantage. The Huskies kept the pressure on late in the set, with an impressive defensive save keeping a long rally alive before Howse finished it with a kill to make it 23-16. Hunt then wrapped up her high performing night with another kill as Washington took the third set 25-20 and completed the sweep.
Up Next: Washington will conclude its opening weekend on Sunday, taking on IU Indianapolis at 3 p.m., streaming on Big Ten Plus.
For news, scores, highlights and more, download the Go Huskies app on your mobile device. Follow @UWVolleyball on Instagram, X, and Facebook and subscribe to UW Athletics on YouTube for the latest on the Dawgs.
Washington finished the night with 46 kills and a .298 attack percentage. Second-year Simona Mateska led the Huskies with 11 kills while hitting .476, while first-year outside Kylie Kleckner also added 11 kills and seven digs. Third-year middle Julia Hunt recorded 10 kills with second-year Maija Howse adding eight kills and seven block assists. New setter Andrea Fabikovicová tallied 33 assists and 10 digs for a double-double, while first-year libero Kaitlyn Nguyen led the Huskies with 17 digs as Washington finished with 43 digs, 13 total blocks and three aces.
Going into day two of the Husky Invitational, Washington added Simona Mateska to the starting lineup alongside Kaitlyn Nguyen and Kylie Kleckner in the back row. Following a strong performance at the net against UC Irvine, the Huskies again featured Katy Wessels, Julia Hunt, Maija Howse, and Andrea Fabikovicová.
"I just like how we're extending rallies," said Head Coach Leslie Gabriel. "Kaitlyn Nguyen's back there digging some balls and playing with a lot of heart. I'm proud of them just trying to keep the ball off the ground. It was a good back and forth match. Julia had another good night of consistent play, and same with Simona. Kylie is doing a good job, I'm proud of how she's playing. She comes from a good club and high school and is used to winning, and is trying to keep us doing the same up here."
BARK AND BITE ??
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) August 30, 2026
The dig from Nguyen, set from Fabi, and Hunt wins set two!#PointHuskies // @B1GVolleyball pic.twitter.com/YUpRdNy5vS
Washington came out strong in the opening set, building a quick 8-0 lead from an immediate Howse kill and another standout defensive performance at the net from Wessels. The Huskies continued to apply pressure as Howse got another kill by sending the ball back over the net as it began to cross, pushing Washington's advantage to 10-1. Nguyen held this pressure from the back row with a crucial save to set up a Kleckner kill, giving Washington a 14-4 lead. Howse and Wessels offense helped extend the Huskies lead to 20-11. As the Aztecs began to find their rhythm, Hunt answered with a kill to push Washington to set point at 24-15 before Mateska closed out the set with a kill. With a 25-17 win, the Huskies hit .314 while recording 14 kills, 13 digs, four blocks and two aces.
The second set proved to be a much tighter battle, with the Huskies and Aztecs trading points throughout. After San Diego State took a 10-9 lead, Kleckner answered with a kill to tie the score at 12-12. The Aztecs and Huskies continued several long rallies as they exchanged leads. Kleckner later tipped the ball over to put Washington ahead 15-14, and Mateska broke another tie with a kill to give the Huskies a 16-15 advantage. Mateska followed with back to back kills to keep Washington within one at 18-19 before Howse and Hunt combined for a block to tie the set at 22-22. Hunt then delivered a kill to give the Huskies set point at 24-23, but the Aztecs responded to tie it once again. Kleckner came through with another kill to put Washington back at set point, 25-24, before Hunt closed out the set with a kill for the 26-24 win, giving the Huskies a two set lead.
The Huskies carried their momentum into the third set, opening with a back-row kill from Mateska before Hunt continued her strong night at the net with a kill to give Washington a 4-3 lead. The set remained competitive early on, but a Howse kill pushed the Huskies ahead 10-8 as Washington began to take control back with a combination of timely kills and blocks. Howse extended the lead to 15-11, followed by a Kleckner and Hunt block that put the Huskies up 17-11. Hunt continued to make an impact offensively, adding another kill to give Washington a 20-13 advantage. The Huskies kept the pressure on late in the set, with an impressive defensive save keeping a long rally alive before Howse finished it with a kill to make it 23-16. Hunt then wrapped up her high performing night with another kill as Washington took the third set 25-20 and completed the sweep.
DAWG DEFENSE ?? AND THE ?? IN THE ???#PointHuskies // @B1GVolleyball pic.twitter.com/PcUtKPhpNc
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) August 30, 2026
Up Next: Washington will conclude its opening weekend on Sunday, taking on IU Indianapolis at 3 p.m., streaming on Big Ten Plus.
For news, scores, highlights and more, download the Go Huskies app on your mobile device. Follow @UWVolleyball on Instagram, X, and Facebook and subscribe to UW Athletics on YouTube for the latest on the Dawgs.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
L
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
SDSU
UW
Kills
29
46
Errors
19
15
Attempts
105
104
Hitting %
.095
.298
Points
39.0
62.0
Assists
27
42
Aces
5
3
Blocks
5
13
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Sunday, August 30
Sunday, August 30
Sunday, August 30
Sunday, August 30
