Oct. 11, 2002
SAN DIEGO - Bolstered by the hitting of Megan Schauermann, Nicole Akporiaye and Aspen McPartland, San Diego State defeated UNLV, 3-0 (30-22, 30-23, 30-21), Friday evening in Peterson Gym. The win improved the Aztecs' record to 13-8 on the year and 4-1 in Mountain West Conference play. SDSU is off to its best league start since joining the MWC in 1999. With the loss, the Rebels saw their record fall to 4-15 (0-5 MWC).
Schauermann led San Diego State with 12 kills on the night, a season best for the junior middle blocker from Vancouver, Wash. Schauermann, who hit .526 over the three games, was joined in double digits by both Akporiaye (11) and McPartland (10), with the latter recording her eighth double-double of the year (10 digs).
UNLV got a dozen kills apiece from Patricia Assuncao and Blair Wilkes, as the duo accounted for over half of the Rebels attack (44 kills) on the night.
In game one, SDSU ran out to a 10-4 lead and maintained at least a six-point lead the rest of the way. Rochelle Currier led the Aztecs with seven kills while UNLV's Wilkes matched that total. SDSU hit .405 as a team compared to just .190 by the Rebels.
In the second game, the Aztecs scored six straight to take a 16-10 lead, but the Rebels clawed their way back to knot the score at 23-all. From there, San Diego State ran off the final seven points behind the serving of Currier and the hitting of Megan Schauermann and Nicole Akporiaye. The latter pair finished the game with four and six kills respectively while Patricia Assuncao led UNLV with four.
Game three was a tight affair in the early stages, with either team having the upper hand. With a 9-7 lead, San Diego Stat proceeded to win five points in a row and 10 of 12 to open a 20-11 lead. The Aztecs extended that lead to 11 points (24-13) and closed out the night with a nine-point win. Schauermann, Currier and McPartland had four kills apiece to lead SDSU while Wilkes had three for UNLV.
Up next for the Aztecs is a re-match with cross-town rival University of San Diego at the Toreros' Jenny Craig Pavilion on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 7:00 p.m. USD defeated the Aztecs, 3-1, earlier this season in Peterson Gym.