Nov. 14, 2001
The San Diego State women's volleyball team travels to Provo, Utah for the Mountain West Conference Tournament as the fourth seed in the eight-team conference. The Aztecs face fifth-seeded UNLV in their first match at Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 1:30 p.m. (MST). All matches will be televised by Sportswest and can be seen in San Diego on Channel 4 San Diego.
The Aztecs are 15-10 overall and 9-5 against Mountain West opponents. The team has held on to fourth place with series sweeps over UNLV, Wyoming, New Mexico and Air Force, but have yet to win a match off of No. 8 Colorado State or No.16 BYU. The Aztecs split their series with the Utes posting a 3-2 upset last weekend at home.
SDSU's 9-3 start this season is its best since 1995 and included a win over cross-town rival USD, something the Aztecs hadn't accomplished since 1996. All indications pointed to another successful year for the Aztecs with a 6-1 record going into conference. But, the top half of the conference held strong and pushed the Aztecs to fourth and 9-5 in the Mountain West.
Now State must face a tough UNLV team that beat the nationally-ranked Cougars last weekend in a 3-1. If the Aztecs get past the Rebels they will advance to the second day of competition with a 4 p.m. match on Friday against the winner of the No. 1 seed Colorado State and No. 8 seed Air Force match.
What to look for...
Against the Rebels: San Diego State dominates the all-time series with UNLV, 10-1. The two teams have never faced off in a conference tournament or on neutral ground. The Rebels are coached by Deitre Collins, who holds an overall record of 64-96 (.400) in six seasons.
Against Air Force/Colorado State: If the Aztecs had their choice the Falcons would be next on the list. State holds a 9-1 record versus the Falcons with the last loss for the Aztecs in 1999 at Air Force. Colorado State in another story. The Aztecs are 13-10 versus the Rams, but haven't defeated CSU since 1996, when both teams were members of the WAC.
I'm Okay, You're Okay "I'm okay" seem to be the two most common words out of senior Katie Magnuson's mouth. Truth be told, the 6-1 outside hitter from San Diego has a stress fracture and has played on it for most of the season.
Playing through the pain is exactly what she has done. Magnuson has set four new career highs in her senior season, the most impressive being the 19 kills against UNLV on Oct. 5th and the 22 digs vs. SMU at the Tulane Tournament in New Orleans.
On The Wright Path
Melissa Wright has been a consistent aspect of the Aztec team this season. Wright's 944 assists in the season and 2,269 career assists have moved her to fourth on the Aztecs all-time assist list. She needs just 109 more to crack SDSU's single-season assist list for the second straight year.
Wright has started 22 of the 25 matches this season and is currently third in assists in the Mountain West conference with 11.71 per game and fourth overall with 11.51 per game. Her lone double-double of the season came against Wyoming on Sept. 30, with 48 assists and 10 digs.
Get That Monkey Off My Back!
A collective sigh of relief was heard throughout the stands and on the bench when the Aztecs upset the 14th-ranked Utah Utes, 3-2, last weekend in San Diego. The win marked the first time that the Aztecs had beaten a ranked team this year.
With the victory, the Aztecs are now 1-8 against Top 25 teams. If the Aztecs beat the Rebels and Colorado State defeats Air Force, State will have another chance to improve that record.
Off The Pine
The Aztecs have received a fair amount of help from the bench this year. Junior Rochelle Currier has registered 100 kills, 77 digs, 11 aces and nine blocks as a non-starter. The junior transfer from Utah State hit a season-high 24 kills in her start against Air Force on Oct. 22.
Sophomore Robyn Gregg has made her presence known at the serving line. Of the 186 aces by the Aztecs this season, Gregg has accounted for 75 of those. Gregg was the statistical champion with 40 aces in league play, shattering the old MWC record of 26 (Kristen Vance, CSU, 1999).
Fountain of Youth
Katie Magnuson id the only senior of the starting six for the Aztecs. Magnuson is accompanied by juniors Melissa Wright and Nicole Akporiaye and sophomores Zlatina Anguelova, Megan Schauermann and Aspen McPartland.
Junior Rochelle Currier and sophomore Robyn Gregg are in the regular rotation off of the bench.
Foreign Phenom
Sophomore Zlatina Anguelova, an outside hitter that came to San Diego State by way of Sofia, Bulgaria has made a huge impact during the 2001 season.
Anguelova has totaled 290 kills in 24 matches, along with 26 aces and 70 total blocks. Her 176 kills in league play ranks her sixth with 3.67 kills per game.
Make Mine A Double-Double
Double-doubles mean a lot more to the Aztecs than a greasy burger. Five players have totaled 20 double-doubles this season, 10 of those have come from senio Katie Magnsuon.
Sophomores Aspen McPartland and Zlatina Anguelova have totaled four each with junior Melissa Wright notching one. Junior Nicole Akporiaye tallied one triple-double with her performance against crss-town rival USD. Akporiaye totaled 15 kills, 11 digs and 10 blocks. She is one of only five players in the conference to garner a triple-double this year.