Sept. 13, 2002
COLUMBIA, Mo. - San Diego State opened play at the Quality Inn Tiger Invitational in Columbia, Mo., Friday with a win over Arkansas-Little Rock and a loss to the host Missouri Tigers. With the split, the Aztec's record now stands at 4-5 on the season with two more tourney matches to be played on Saturday.
In its opener Friday afternoon, the Aztecs put away a stubborn UALR squad 3-0 (30-27, 30-24, 30-18). SDSU was led by senior Nicole Akporiaye's 10 kills while teammate Zlatina Anguelova recorded nine kills, 12 digs and six blocks. The Trojans (4-4) were paced by Larisa Dursimevic, who tallied 10 kills and 13 digs.
In the tournament nightcap, San Diego State found the going a bit more difficult, losing to Missouri in four games (23-30, 25-30, 30-27, 30-23). The Tigers (8-1) got 17 kills from Mary Lauren Smith and 16 from Christi Myers.
For the Aztecs, Anguelova and Akporiaye reversed their kill totals from the earlier match, with Anguelova notching 10 and Akporiaye nine. With 12 digs in the match, Anguelova recorded her fourth double double of the year while hitting .409. Junior Aspen McPartland also contributed nine kills and 11 digs.
Up next for SDSU is a match with Eastern Illinois on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. (CDT) followed by a contest vs. North Carolina State at 4:30 p.m. (CDT). The Aztecs return home on Tuesday, Sept. 17, to take on cross-town rival University of San Diego at 7:00 p.m. in Peterson Gym.