Nov. 20, 2002
Fort Collins, Colo. - San Diego State has placed four players on the 2002 All-Mountain West Conference team including the league's co-Player and Setter of the Year. In addition, Mark Warner was honored as the MWC co-Coach of the Year. The announcment was made at the pre-tournament banquet for the league's championship tournament in Fort Collins, Colo., Wednesday evening.
Senior Nicole Akporiaye along with juniors Aspen McPartland and Zlatina Anguelova were named to the all-conference squad along with senior Melissa Wright, who was selected the league's Setter of the Year. McPartland was also honored as the conference co-Player of the Year along with Utah's Kim Turner.
Warner, meanwhile, shared Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year accolades with Colorado State's Tom Hilbert. It was the second such honor for the SDSU coach, who was the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1995.
McPartland earned her award as the only MWC student-athlete to hit over .300 (.307) while averaging better than three kills (3.01 kpg) and three digs (3.15 dpg) over the course of the league season.
Anguelova averaged 4.17 kills per game to finish second in the MWC in that category while also finishing with 2.17 digs a game. Akporiaye was the league's leading blocker at 1.65 bpg while hitting .329.
Wright, a three-year starter at SDSU since transferring from Washington State in 2000, ranks third in the conference record book with 3,749 career assists. She averaged 12.53 assists per game to rank second in the league and hit .325 with over a kill per game from her setter position.
The Aztecs open play at the Mountain West Conference Championship on Thursday (Nov. 22) when they take on New Mexico at 12:30 PST at Colorado State's Moby Arena. That match will be televised live on Ch. 4 San Diego.