Nov. 21, 2001
The San Diego State women's volleyball team travels to Tucson, Ariz., to compete in the University of Arizona Tournament, Nov. 23-24. The Aztecs will face off with No. 23 UC Santa Barbara on Friday at 5 p.m. The winner of that match will go on to face the winner of the No. 4 Arizona/Denver match.
The Aztecs are 15-11 overall and 9-5 against Mountain West opponents. State hasn't faced a Big West Conference team this season and are 134-74 all-time against current Big West schools.
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.
The Aztecs last loss came in the Mountain West Conference Tournament last week with a 3-2 defeat by the UNLV Rebels. The loss marks the first by the Aztecs to the Rebels this season. The loss dropped State from the tournament in the first round.
What to look for...
Against UC Santa Barbara: San Diego State dominates the all-time series with UCSB, 21-18. The Gauchos are led by head coach Kathy Gregory. Gregory has compiled a 670-289 record.
Against Arizona/Denver: If the Aztecs had their choice the Pioneers would be next on the list. State and Denver have never met, but the Pioneers are 12-15 overall and fourth in the Sun Belt's western division. The Aztecs are 19-7 versus the Cats, but haven't defeated them since 1984, when both teams were members of the WCAA.
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 998 assists in the season and2,323 career assists have moved her to fourth on the Aztecs all-time assist list. She needs just 55 more to crack SDSU's single-season assist list for the second straight year.
Wright has started 23 of the 26 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, 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. The Aztecs will compete against the 23rd-ranked Gauchos and if they win could compete against No. 4 Arizona.
Off The Pine
The Aztecs have received a fair amount of help from the bench this year. Junior Rochelle Currier has registered 112 kills, 86 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 193 aces by the Aztecs this season, Gregg has accounted for 76 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 306 kills in 25 matches, along with 27 aces and 73 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 22 double-doubles this season, 10 of those have come from senior Katie Magnsuon.
Sophomores Aspen McPartland and Zlatina Anguelova have totaled five 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.