Sept. 15, 2002
COLUMBIA, Mo. - San Diego State won a pair of matches over Eastern Illinois and North Carolina State on Saturday to capture second place at the five-team Tiger Invitational in Columbia, Mo. The victories improved the Aztecs to 6-5 on the year as they get set for a home match with cross-town rival University of San Diego on Tuesday.
SDSU began the day with a three-game win over Eastern Illinois (30-25, 30-17, 30-24). Junior Melissa Cansdale, making her first start of the season, responded with a game-high 14 kills with eight digs. Middle blocker Nicole Akporiaye, who hit .412 for the match, finished with nine kills, five blocks and eight digs. The Panthers (5-4) were led by Erica Gerth and Sarah Niedospial with 10 kills apiece.
Later in the afternoon, the Aztecs capped off their tournament play with a 3-1 win over North Carolina State (1-12) by scores of 30-21, 30-17, 20-30, 30-20. San Diego State had three players in double figures in kills led by a double double from senior Rochelle Currier (13 kills, 11 digs). Kara Moriarty contributed 12 kills to the winning cause while Akporiaye had 10.
Cansdale also continued to shine in a starting role, finishing with eight kills and a .500 hitting percentage over the four games. She finished the day's matches with a total of 22 kills, as did Currier.
San Diego State went 3-1 in the two-day Tiger Invitational after opening with a win over Arkansas-Little Rock and a loss to the host Missouri Tigers on Friday. Both Rochelle Currier and Nicole Akporiaye were named to the all-tournament team.
The Aztecs will now prepare for their annual match with University of San Diego slated to take place on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 7:00 p.m. in Peterson Gym.