Sept. 7, 1999
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State women's volleyball team gave a gallant effort Tuesday night against Long Beach State, forcing the 49ers to a four-game match that saw the fourth-ranked team in the nation have its troubles with the heavily underdog Aztecs. Last season's defending national champions eventually held off SDSU and won the four game set 3-1(15-6, 13-15, 15-6, 15-8) in front of more than 200 fans at Peterson Gym. SDSU now stands at 0-2 on the season, while Long Beach State improves to 5-0 and has posted 41-consecutive wins.
The Aztecs showed much improvement in Tuesday's contest from their season opener against Loyola Marymount. SDSU came out strong in the first game with an early 3-2 lead, but unforced errors made it impossible to recover from the nine unanswered points scored by the Long Beach State. In game two the Aztecs recorded a season high in team hitting percentage(.373) and held off a late rally by the 49ers to even the match at one game apiece. Long Beach's tremendous height advantage took over the next two games, as SDSU could not find answers to the 49ers net play, spoiling any hopes of an upset on Montezuma Mesa.
The Aztecs were led by junior outside hitter Amy Hallquist, who racked up 17 kills for a match high, seven digs and a .263 hitting percentage. Middle blockers Nicole Curtis and Erin Grady, both finished the night with 12 kills each. As a team the Aztecs served a team high nine aces in the contest.
SDSU travels to Lincoln, Neb., for the Nebraska Tournament this weekend. Competition begins on Friday, Sept. 10 and runs through Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Lincoln Coliseum. The Aztecs will face the Arizona Wildcats on Friday and play Nebraska and South Florida on Saturday. SDSU finishes out the weekend with a match against Creighton on Sunday, Sept. 12 in Omaha, Neb.