Sept. 23, 2003
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AZTECS ON THE ROAD AGAIN
* San Diego State begins a string of four consecutive road matches when it travels to Los Angeles on Wednesday (Sept. 24) to take on 24th-ranked Loyola Marymount at 6:00 p.m.
* Two days later (Friday, Sept. 26), the Aztecs will open their 2003 Mountain West Conference season at UNLV in a match scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start. That contest will be the first of three league contests on the road for SDSU.
SERIES RECORDS
* SDSU leads it series with Loyola Marymount, 12-9. However, the Lions have won each of the last seven meetings since 1996. The Aztecs' last victory over LMU came during the 1995 season in Los Angeles. Including that match, SDSU had won three in a row in the series until the Lions began their current seven-match streak. The Aztecs are 5-6 against LMU on the Lions' home floor. Last season in Peterson Gym, the Aztecs fell behind 2-0 and had a fine comeback fall just short as they lost the match to LMU by a score of 3-2.
* San Diego State is 11-3 in the series against UNLV. The teams split a pair of matches last season with each winning on its home court. The Aztecs' loss at UNLV last November was their first regular-season loss at the hands of the Rebels in MWC play. SDSU's record against UNLV in Las Vegas stands at 5-2.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
* Loyola Marymount enters the week with a record of 11-2 and is ranked 24th in the nation in this week's AVCA poll. The Lions began the season with nine straight wins. Their two losses coming against 2nd-ranked Hawaii and Washington State. LMU is 2-0 against MWC competition this season with wins over New Mexico and UNLV. Loyola Marymount is led by senior outside hitter Kealani Kimball (4.33 kpg, 3.42 dpg, 0.42 bpg) and sophomore middle blocker Dina DeBernardi (3.47 kpg, 0.72 bpg, .384 hitting percentage).
* UNLV begins conference play on Friday with a 6-5 overall record this season. Most recently, the Rebels dropped matches to 2nd-ranked Hawaii and then-25th-ranked Loyola Marymount last week in Honolulu. UNLV was picked to finish fifth (just behind SDSU) in the preseason conference poll. The Rebels are led by Leiana Oswald (4.50 kpg, 2.03 dpg) and Sheila Ocasio-Clemente (2.47 kpg, 0.82 dpg, 0.82 bpg).
MOST RECENTLY
* SDSU went 1-1 in a pair of home matches last week.
* The Aztecs began the week with a three-game loss (27-30, 25-30, 24-30) to 21st-ranked San Diego on Tuesday. Aspen McPartland led SDSU with 13 kills and eight blocks along with a .391 hitting percentage. Kara Moriarty added a dozen kills while hitting .423.
* In its second match of the week, San Diego State overwhelmed Harvard, 3-0 (30-10, 30-21, 30-14), behind the hitting of McPartland (15 kills, .591 attack percentage) and Moriarty (13 kills, .458 attack percentage). SDSU recorded 61 kills to 28 by the Crimson, and out-blocked the visitors 14-2.
HEAD COACH Mark Warner
* San Diego State head coach Mark Warner is in his ninth season at the helm of the Aztec women's program. His career record over that span stands at 147-113 (.565).
* Over the past eight years, Warner has led his teams to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths and a Western Athletic Conference championship. His has produced 13 all-conference players as well as a pair of league players of the year, a setter of the year, and a defensive player of the year.
* Warner was named the 2003 Mountain West Conference co-Coach of the Year.
MCPARTLAND LEADS OFFENSE
* Senior Aspen McPartland has been named to the all-tournament team at two events this season: the Green Mill Restaurant Volleyball Classic at Wichita State and the Four Points University Wildcat Classic at Arizona.
* She picked up the 1,000th kill of her Aztec career in SDSU's match against Nicholls State on Sept. 12. Entering this week, she now has accumulated 1,075 kills during her four seasons at SDSU.
* McPartland continues to lead San Diego State in kill average (3.67 kpg) and hitting percentage (.375).
* In two matches last week (vs. San Diego and Harvard), she averaged 4.67 kills and 2.00 blocks per game while hitting .489 over six games.
SCHAUERMANN AT THE NET
* Middle blocker Megan Schauermann made another strong showing in last week's matches.
* She averaged 2.33 kills per game and 1.83 blocks per game over the six games.
* She tied her career high in kills earlier this season with 13 against 20th-ranked Santa Clara on Sept. 5th.
* Schauermann has recorded at least three blocks in each of the Aztecs' first 13 matches and averages a team-leading 1.65 blocks per game.
* Her blocking average places her among the top 10 individuals in the nation.
CANSDALE COMING ON
* Senior Melissa Cansdale has emerged as one of the Aztecs' three blocking threats this season.
* She ranks second on the squad with an average of 1.41 bpg, a figure that was just outside the national top 30 last week. Prior to this season, she had averaged just 0.36 bpg (36 blocks in 91 games).
* In her last five matches, she is averaging 1.55 bpg and 1.90 kpg while hitting .288, all of which are well above her season averages.
MORIARTY STEPS UP
* Junior Kara Moriarty has adjusted to her role as starting outside hitter and has become one of SDSU's most consistent offensive performers.
* Last week, she averaged 4.17 kills, two digs and one block per game while hitting .440 over the matches against San Diego and Harvard.
* Her five blocks against Harvard represented her Aztec career best.
* Earlier this season, Moriarty set career highs in kills in back-to-back matches when she had 17 against both Hofstra and 10th-ranked Arizona.
* She has recorded a pair of double-doubles this season with 17k-12d vs. Hofstra and 15k-13d vs. Oral Roberts.
ANGUELOVA STEADY
* Outside hitter Zlatina Anguelova has had a quiet but steady season through the first portion of the 2003 campaign.
* She ranks third on the team in total kills (130), kill average (2.95 kpg) and service aces (0.23/game).
* Two weeks ago she was named to the all-tournament team at the Wichita State tourney.
* Anguelova will join McPartland in reaching the 1,000 career-kill milestone in the near future. The senior begins the week with a total of 954 career kills.
ENGSTROM ALL-AROUND
* Sara Engstrom has taken over the role of starting setter this season, replacing 2002 MWC Setter of the Year Melissa Wright. Engstrom totaled just under 1,000 assists in two seasons at Portland before coming to the Aztecs last season when she served primarily as back row player.
* Despite her 5-8 height, she has proven a highly effective blocker. Over her last five matches, she is averaging just under a block per game (0.94 bpg).
* Engstrom also has 14 service aces this season, one behind team leader Robyn Gregg, who has 14 through 13 matches.
ON THE BLOCKS
* Blocking continues to be the Aztecs' strength during the 2003 season. In last week's two matches, SDSU average 4.83 bpg compared to 1.67 for its two opponents.
* Three Aztecs are averaging over a block per game during the 2003 season: seniors Megan Schauermann (1.65 bpg), Melissa Cansdale (1.41 bpg) and Aspen McPartland (1.33 bpg). All thee improved their season averages during last week's action.
* After 13 matches this season, SDSU is averaging 3.48 blocks per game. Last week, the Aztecs' 3.28 bpg average ranked 10th in the nation. NCAA stats are updated on Tuesday each week, but SDSU's average of 3.48 would have ranked second in the nation last week. (Stats can be found at www.ncaa.org)
* Among individual players, Megan Schauermann ranked seventh in the country last week with a 1.63 bpg average (which she has raised to 1.65 this week).
AMONG THE MWC LEADERS
* Several Aztecs rank among the Mountain West Conference leaders after the opening four weeks of the season. * Megan Schauermann ranks first in blocks (1.65 bpg) while Melissa Cansdale is fourth (1.41 bpg) and Aspen McPartland is fifth (1.33).
* McPartland's .375 hitting percentage is second-best in the league this week while Schauermann's .292 ranks eighth. Sara Engstrom's 11.67 assist per game average places her fifth.
* As a team, SDSU ranks first in blocks (3.48 bpg) and third in kills (15.46 kpg).
* McPartland's 13 total blocks vs. Santa Clara earlier this season is the best in the MWC this season while Cansdale's 11 vs. Miami ranks second.
* The team's .473 attack percentage vs. Harvard is the highest in a match in the conference while its 22.5 blocks against Santa Clara is also a league match high.
ON THE CHARTS
* Two current Aztecs appear on SDSU's top 10 career lists.
* Aspen McPartland is 10th in career digs with 934. The number-nine spot is held by Jennifer Miller (1989-92) with 941.
* Robyn Gregg is seventh on the service ace list with a career total of 153. Martina Vitkova-Engels (1994-97) is sixth with 154.
* Megan Schauermann is fast approaching the top 10 in block assists. Her career total of 296 entering the week is nearing Kris Morton's (1985-87) 10th-ranked figure of 299 career block assists.
TEAM NOTES
* Through the first seven matches (46 games) of the season, the Aztecs have committed just six ball handling errors compare to 32 by opponents.
* SDSU is averaging over a block-and-a-half more per game than opponents (3.48 bpg to 1.97 bpg). The Aztecs have out-blocked their opponent in 10 of 13 matches this fall and have recorded exactly twice as many block assists (286-143).
* SDSU's four-match winning streak earlier this season was the team's longest since it opened the 2001 campaign with five consecutive victories.
PLAYER NOTES
* Megan Schauermann, Aspen McPartland and Zlatina Anguelova have all recorded at least one block in each match this season.
* Sophomore Ashley Bowker made her season debut in game three vs. Harvard last week and responded with a pair of kills on three attacks.
* Four Aztecs have started every match and played every game for SDSU this season: Aspen McPartland, Megan Schauermann, Kara Moriarty and Sara Engstrom. Robyn Gregg has also played in every game (as a back row specialist), but has not started a match.
* Moriarty is the team dig leader at 2.24 dpg.
UP NEXT
* San Diego State continues conference road action next week beginning with a match at Wyoming on Friday, Oct. 4, at 7:00 p.m. (MDT).
* The following day (Saturday, Oct. 5), the Aztecs will be in Fort Collins to take on defending league champion Colorado State, also at 7:00 p.m. (MDT).
* SDSU will return home on Tuesday (Oct. 7) to face Cal State Fullerton at 6:00 p.m. in Peterson Gym.