Sept. 20, 2002
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - San Diego State rebounded from a one-game deficit to defeat Winthrop 3-1 (25-30, 30-13, 30-27, 30-16) in the opening match at the Black and Gold Challenge in Winston-Salem, N.C. Friday evening. The win pushed the Aztecs over the .500 mark at 7-6 while the Eagles fell to 8-4.
After dropping the first game of the match, SDSU roared back to win the second contest by 17 points behind the hitting of Melissa Cansdale and blocking of Megan Schauermann. As a team, SDSU hit .500 in game two after managing just a .071 hitting percentage in the first game.
Cansdale, a junior from Boulder City, Nev., came off the bench in game two and finished with 16 over the final three games. The total represented a career high, surpassing her previous best of 15 against Northern Arizona back in 1999.
San Diego State also got a double doubles from Aspen McPartland (14 kills/12 digs), her fifth of the season. Schauermann, along with teammate Zlatina Anguelova, contributed 10 kills apiece.
Defensively, the Aztec had 10 team blocks compared to four for the Eagles as SDSU, which hit .312 as a team over the four games, held Winthrop to a .119 hitting percentage on the night.
Up next for San Diego State is a match against Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday (Sept. 21) at 11:00 a.m. (EDT). The Aztecs then conclude tourney action when they face host Wake Forest at 7:00 p.m. that evening.