Sept. 16, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
AZTECS HOST SAN DIEGO, TRAVEL TO THE EAST COAST
Following a mid-week home match against University of San Diego on Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Aztecs will depart for Winston-Salem, N.C., to participate in the Black and Gold Challenge hosted by Wake Forest.
SDSU will open tourney play against Winthrop on Friday (Sept. 20) at 5:00 p.m. (EDT).
The following day, the Aztecs will play Alabama-Birmingham at 11:00 a.m. (EDT), then wrap up tournament action with a 7:00 p.m. contest against host Demon Deacons.
The Black and Gold Challenge is the third of three consecutive weekend tournaments that will see San Diego State travel from Hawai'i (where they competed two weeks ago) to the midwest (where they played at Missouri's Tiger Invitational last weekend) to the east coast.
SERIES RECORDS
San Diego state leads its series with University of San Diego, 24-13. However, since 1997, the Toreros have been victorious in nine of the 10 meetings between the teams. The Aztecs broke an eight-match losing streak at the hands of USD when they defeated their cross-town rival early in 2001. SDSU is 14-5 vs. the Toreros in Peterson Gym.
The Aztecs will be meeting all three of their opponents (Winthrop, Alabama-Birmingham and Wake Forest) at the Black and Gold Challenge for the first time ever on the volleyball court.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
USD enters the week with a record of 7-2 after a four-game loss to fifth-ranked Long Beach State and a three-game win over South Carolina this past weekend. The Toreros are just outside the top 25 in this week's AVCA poll, recording the most votes among the other teams receiving votes. USD is led by outside hitter Noel Frohman (4.92 kpg) and middle blocker Lisa Gordon (.345 hitting percentage) along with setter Lindsey Sherburne (13.24 assist/game). Frohman has received all-West Coast Conference honors each of the last three seasons.
Winthrop comes into the Wake Forest tournament with an 8-3 mark on the season. The Eagles began the season with six straight wins and are 2-3 in their last five matches. The team's offensive leaders include middle blocker Jennifer Pritchard (3.07 kpg, 1.14 bpg, .300 hitting percentage) and outside hitter Logan Pierce (4.86 kpg, .266 pct.). Pritchard was an all-Big South Conference selection a year ago while Pierce is a transfer from Oklahoma.
Alabama-Birmingham has posted a 2-8 mark thus far and will host Samford on Tuesday (Sept. 17) before traveling to Winston-Salem. UAB's wins have come at home against Tennessee State and East Tennessee State. The Blazers top player is Martina Shields, who is averaging 4.00 kills per game. Right side hitter Kristi Lee, who was named to the all-tournament team at last weekend's Weber State tournament, is averaging 2.50 kpg.
Wake Forest is off to a 3-6 start this season and has dropped five of its last six matches. The Demon Deacons lost a five-game match at Brigham Young in early September. Wake Forest has five players averaging over two kills per game led by outside hitter Valerie Rydberg (2.95 kpg) and middle blocker Kim Stern (2.53 kpg). Senior setter Ashley Phillips became Wake's all-time assist leader this past weekend with 3,795 career assists.
LAST WEEK
San Diego State dropped a five-game match to UC Irvine last Tuesday. The Aztecs held a 2-0 lead, but the Anteaters rallied for the win. Rochelle Currier and Zlatina Anguelova had 20 kills apiece for SDSU.
This past weekend, the Aztecs went 3-1 at the Tiger Invitational hosted by the University of Missouri. They opened played with a 3-0 (30-27, 30-24, 30-18) win over Arkansas-Little Rock before falling to the host Tigers, 3-1 (23-30, 25-30, 30-27, 23-30). Day two saw SDSU record wins over Eastern Illinois (30-25, 30-17, 30-24)) and North Carolina State (30-21, 30-17, 20-30, 30-20).
Seniors Rochelle Currier and Nicole Akporiaye were named to the all-tournament team.
HEAD COACH MARK WARNER
San Diego State head coach Mark Warner is in his eighth season at the helm of the Aztec women's program. His career record over the past seven seasons at SDSU stands at 123-101 (.549).
Over the past seven years, Warner has led his teams to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths and a Western Athletic Conference championship. His tutelage has produced nine all-conference players.
THE WRIGHT STUFF
Setter Melissa Wright has moved up to third on the SDSU career assist list with 2,852 assists since arriving from the Washington State as a sophomore for the 2000 season.
She is 339 assists shy of moving into the number-two spot currently occupied by Pam Hope (1990-92).
Wright ranks fifth in the Mountain West Conference in assists this week with an average of 10.92 per game.
She is also averaging over a kill per game from her setter position and is hitting .429 with only eight attack errors.
AKPORIAYE CONTINUES SOLID PLAY
With her move to a middle blocker role this season, senior Nicole Akporiaye has emerged as a true threat at the net as a blocker.
Her average of 1.32 blocks per game leads the Aztecs and ranks seventh in the Mountain West Conference this week.
Akporiaye's nine service aces this year ranks second on the squad. She had a total of four aces in her previous three seasons when she was almost strictly a front row player.
She leads the team (among the hitters and blockers) in hitting percentage at .310 and is having her best offensive season as an Aztec thus far in 2002.
At last weekend's Tiger Invitational, Akporiaye was named to the all-tourney team after hitting .338 over the four matches with an average of 2.71 kpg, 2.00 dpg, and 1.14 bpg.
CURRIER HAS SOLID WEEK
Senior hitter Rochelle Currier began last week with a 20-kill performance in the match vs. UC Irvine. That kill total matches the most for an Aztec in a match this season.
She earned all-tourney honors at the Missouri Tiger Invitational after averaging 3.00 kills and 2.75 digs per game.
ANGUELOVA INJURED
After 20 kills vs. UC Irvine and a nine-kill, 12-dig outing against Arkansas-Little Rock, junior outside hitter Zlatina Anguelova suffered a twisted knee in the match against Missouri
She had already accumulated 10 kills and 10 digs in just over two games against the Tigers before the injury sidelined her for the rest of the tournament.
Anguelova practiced with the team on Monday and is expected to be available for all of SDSU's matches this week.
CANSDALE COMES THROUGH
In the absence of Anguelova, Melissa Cansdale got her first starts of the season against Eastern Illinois and North Carolina State on Saturday.
The junior from Boulder City, Nev., responded by notching 22 kills in those two matches, averaging 4.40 digs and 2.60 digs per game while hitting .348.
Her 14 kills against Eastern Illinois was one shy of her career best of 15 set against Northern Arizona in 1999.
Cansdale is hitting .315 over the Aztecs' last four matches.
AMONG THE MWC LEADERS
San Diego State continues to rank among the top four in the MWC in five categories. Included in that number are digs (2nd - 15.63 dpg), kills (2nd - 15.11 kpg), hitting percentage (3rd - .243), blocks (4th - 2.68 bpg) and assists (4th - 13.24 apg).
Individually, Nicole Akporiaye's .310 attack percentage ranks seventh this week. She also ranks seventh in blocking with a average of 1.32 per game.
Senior Rochelle Currier is fourth n the league in digs at 3.13 dpg.
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
For the third year in a row, the Mountain West Conference coaches' poll has predicted the Aztecs to finish fourth in the league. SDSU has finished fourth each of the last two seasons of play in the MWC.
Utah is picked to win the league title this year, followed by Colorado State and Brigham Young. The results of the preseason poll is as follows:
Team (1st-pl. votes) Pts.1. Utah (6).............482. Colorado State (1)...403. Brigham Young (1)....394. San Diego State......325. UNLV.................286. New Mexico...........187. Wyoming..............138. Air Force.............9
TEAM NOTES
In each of their last three wins, the Aztecs have held their opponent to a hitting percentage of .164 or less.
SDSU has hit under .200 just once this year while opponents have done so on five occasions.
The Aztecs have enjoyed a good deal of success on their home floor, Peterson Gym. Since 1990, the Aztecs have compiled a 110-49 (.692) overall home record and a 57-25 (.695) conference record in the facility.
PLAYER NOTES
Rochelle Currier and Zlatina Anguelova have each recorded four double doubles (kills/digs) this season. That total ranks fourth among the players in the Mountain West Conference.
Anguelova has reached double figures in kills in each of her last four matches and six of her last seven.
Currier is hitting .307 over SDSU's two most recent matches.
Megan Schauermann and Nicole Akporiaye are the only two Aztecs to have recorded at least one block in every match this season.
Sophomore Kara Moriarty's 12 kills and five digs in the win over North Carolina State represent career bests.
UP NEXT
After hosting Loyola Marymount on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 6:00 p.m. in Peterson Gym, San Diego State will open Mountain West Conference play next week.
SDSU will host Brigham Young on Friday , Sept. 27, at 7:00 p.m., then take on nationally-ranked Utah on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 1:00 p.m.