Oct. 15, 2002
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AZTECS VISIT USD, RETURN HOME TO HOST AIR FORCE AND NEW MEXICO
Following a mid-week match at cross-town rival University of San Diego (Tuesday, Oct. 17, 7:00 p.m.), San Diego State will resume Mountain West Conference action with a pair of matches in Peterson Gym this coming weekend.
On Friday (Oct. 18), the Aztecs host league rival Air Force at 7:00 p.m. The following evening, New Mexico visits SDSU with that match also slated for a 7:00 p.m. start.
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. The Aztecs broke an eight-match losing streak at the hands of USD when they defeated their cross-town rival early in 2001. SDSU fell to the Toreros, 3-1, when the teams met earlier this season (Sept. 17) in Peterson Gym.
The Aztecs hold a 9-1 advantage in their previous 10 meetings with Air Force. The teams first met in 1996 while both were members of the Western Athletic Conference. Prior to that season, the Falcons had competed in the Colorado Athletic Conference with 1996 being their first year as a member of Division I. Air Force's lone win over SDSU came in Colorado Springs in 1997. San Diego State has won the last five matches with the Falcons.
SDSU leads the series with New Mexico, 18-9. The series goes back to 1976, the first year of intercollegiate volleyball for SDSU, when the Lobos claimed a victory in Peterson Gym. After losing twice to the Lobos during the 1999 campaign, SDSU has won the last five meetings between the teams, including a match at the conference tournament in 2000. The Aztecs are 8-4 against New Mexico in Peterson Gym.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
San Diego enters the week with a record of 16-4 overall. It is among the other teams receiving votes in this week's AVCA poll, unofficially ranking 27th in the nation. The Toreros are led by a pair of outside hitters: senior Noel Frohman (4.81 kpg, 3.53 dpg) and sophomore Devon Forster (4.40 kpg, 3.53 dpg). Middle hitter Debra Robertson is hitting .305 on the year while averaging over a block a game.
Air Force (8-11 overall; 2-3 MWC) recently ended a 36-match conference losing streak by defeating Brigham Young on the Cougars' home floor. The Falcons' top attacker is junior hitter Delevane Diaz, who is averaging 4.11 kills and 2.08 digs per game. Middle hitter Tiffany Bishop has the team's top hitting percentage at .326 and is Air Force's leading blocker at 0.81 bpg. Freshman starter Kristin Hamlett is a native of nearby Escondido where she attended San Pasqual High.
New Mexico, which visits UNLV Friday evening before facing San Diego State, begins the week at 6-12 (1-4 MWC). The Lobos' lone league win came against Air Force in their MWC opener in Albuquerque. Since that victory, New Mexico has lost four straight. UNM's top offensive players include Anna Reines (3.46 kpg) and Vanessa Shields (3.07 kpg). Staci Masten and Chelsea Sondrup are each averaging 1.06 blocks per game.
LAST WEEK
In its one match last week, San Diego State defeated visiting UNLV, 3-0 (30-22, 30-23, 30-21).
Megan Schauermann led the Aztecs with 12 kills while Rochelle Currier had 11. Aspen McPartland recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs.
SDSU hit .290 while holding the Rebels to a .142 hitting percentage.
HEAD COACH MARK WARNER
SDSU 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 130-104 (.556).
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.
MCPARTLAND CONTINUES STELLAR PLAY
Junior middle blocker Aspen McPartland recorded a double-double, her 10th of the season, in San Diego State's match vs. UNLV last weekend.
She has record double-doubles (kills/digs) in six of SDSU's last seven matches.
McPartland has a streak of seven straight matches with at least one block solo, the longest in the MWC.
Her 28 digs vs. Colorado State on Oct. 4 set a Mountain West Conference record and a career high.
McPartland is hitting .306 on the year overall and .344 in MWC contests.
SCHAUERMANN ON THE ATTACK
Megan Schauermann's 12 kills against UNLV last Friday was a season high for the middle blocker from Vancouver, Wash. Her total was one kill short of her SDSU career best of 13 set last season at Wyoming.
She also led the team in hitting percentage in that match at .526 (12-2-19), her second best mark of the season.
Schauermann is averaging 1.25 blocks a game over San Diego State's last five matches.
MORIARTY COMES THROUGH
Sophomore Kara Moriarty got her first start of the season against Wyoming, filling in for the injured Zlatina Anguelova, and also started the match vs. UNLV.
In those two starts, she has totaled 12 kills. 18 digs and seven block assists.
Moriarty's nine blocks in each of SDSU's last two outings mark career-bests for the sophomore hitter while her four blocks vs. UNLV is also a personal best.
AKPORIAYE GETTING OFFENSIVE
With her move to a middle blocker role this season, senior Nicole Akporiaye has emerged as a true threat at the net, both as a hitter and a blocker.
She has moved into the conference lead in hitting percentage this week at .347 after recording a .538 (7-0-13) percentage against UNLV. Her attack percentage over SDSU's five MWC matches is .367.
Her average of 1.40 blocks per game (for all contests) leads the Aztecs and ranks fifth in the Mountain West Conference. Her conference match average of 1.75 bpg is second-best in the MWC this week.
She had a career-best 11 block assists in the three-game win over Brigham Young earlier this season.
Akporiaye is 24 block assists away from cracking the SDSU single-season top 10. She currently has 96 BA this season, and the number 10 spot on the SDSU chart is 120 by both Angelica Jackson (1987) and Kris Morton (1986).
With 316 block assists in her four seasons at SDSU, she has moved into the number-eight spot on the Aztec career top 10 list. Number seven on the list is Renee Pankopf (324 BA, 1983-1986) while the sixth position is held by Angelica Jackson (341 BA, 1984-87).
THE WRIGHT STUFF
Setter Melissa Wright has moved up to second on the SDSU career assist list with 3,305 since arriving from the Washington State as a sophomore for the 2000 season. The top spot is occupied by Andrea Clark (4,916 assists, 1994-97).
Wright ranks fourth in the Mountain West Conference in assists this week with an average of 11.13 per game.
She is also averaging 1.29 kills per game from her setter position and is hitting .459 with only 17 attack errors in 78 games.
Wright recorded her first tripe-double as an Aztec in the match at Colorado State on Oct. 4 when she had 11 kills, 51 assists and 12 digs. It is one of only three triple-doubles recorded by Mountain West Conference players this year.
She has been named to a pair of all-tournament teams this season: the Ramada Inn Invitational at SDSU and the Black and Gold Challenge at Wake Forest.
ANGUELOVA INJURY UPDATE
Starting outside hitter Zlatina Anguelova suffered an ankle injury during the match at Colorado State (Oct. 4) and did not play the following night at Wyoming or in last Friday's match vs. UNLV.
She is expected to miss this week's match against San Diego, but be available for the weekend contests against Air Force and New Mexico.
Earlier this season, Anguelova was injured (twisted knee) at Missouri and missed the Aztecs' match against University of San Diego in mid-September.
GETTING IT DONE DEFENSIVELY
SDSU has kept its foes' hitting percentages to under the .200 mark in 11 of its 13 victories this season. By contrast, San Diego State has been under the .200 mark in only five matches.
The Aztecs are averaging a over half a block more per game than opponents this fall. Three players are averaging better than a block per game : Nicole Akporiaye (1.40 bpg), Aspen McPartland (1.18 bpg) and Megan Schauermann (1.01 bpg)
SDSU'S team average of 2.86 blocks a game ranks 20th in the nation this week.
AMONG THE MWC LEADERS
San Diego State continues to rank among the top four in the MWC in four categories (all matches). Included in that number are digs (2nd - 14.67 dpg), kills (4th - 14.85 kpg), hitting percentage (3rd - .240) and blocks (4th - 2.92 bpg).
Individually, Nicole Akporiaye's .347 attack percentage ranks first this week. She also ranks fifth in blocking with a average of 1.340 per game.
Aspen McPartland's .306 attack percentage is seventh in the MWC this week and her 3.12 dpg average is third.
Others in the league top 10s are Robyn Gregg (6th in service aces at 0.43 sapg), Melissa Wright (fourth in assists at 11.13 apg) and Zlatina Anguelova (9th in digs at 2.63 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 past 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 was 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
At 4-1, San Diego State has tied its best Mountain West Conference start after beginning last season with the same league mark. A win on Friday would signal SDSU's best MWC start since joining the conference in 1999.
SDSU's has won seven of its last nine matches and nine of its last 12.
The Aztecs' team average of 3.50 blocks per game in league matches is the best in the MWC this week.
San Diego State has reached double figures in team blocks in 13 matches this season including the last seven straight. The Aztecs have had nine team blocks on three other occasions.
PLAYER NOTES
Aspen McPartland is second in the Mountain West Conference in double-doubles this fall with 10. Teammate Zlatina Anguelova is right behind her with eight while Rochelle Currier and Melissa Wright have five apiece.
Megan Schauermann and Nicole Akporiaye are the only two Aztecs to have recorded at least one block in every match this season.
Over San Diego State's last eight matches (35 games), Nicole Akporiaye is hitting .393 (78k-14e-163ta).
McPartland has been in double figures in digs in nine of SDSU's last 10 matches.
As a setter, senior Melissa Wright is hitting .517 (36k-5e-60ta) over the last six matches. She has hit under .500 in just one of those matches (.467 at Wyoming.)
Rochelle Currier has been in double figures in kills in each of the Aztecs' last four matches. She is averaging 3.29 kills per game in those contests. Currier is also hitting .326 in SDSU's most recent two matches.
Robyn Gregg has recorded at least one service ace in nine straight matches.
Zlatina Anguelova has been in double figures in kills in four of her last five matches. She had a string of four broken at Colorado State where she had nine kills before going down with an injury.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs will return to conference road action next week when they travel to Utah for a pair of MWC contests.
On Friday, Oct. 25, they will face 16th-ranked Utah in Salt Lake City. The following night (Oct. 26), they will be in Provo to take on the Cougars of Brigham Young.