Sept. 2, 2004
SAN DIEGO - A young San Diego State squad showed that it will be a highly competitive entity this season if Wednesday night's season-opening match against the 17th-ranked Arizona Wildcats is any indication.
Despite having up to three freshman on the floor at any one time and losing their lone senior and returning starter midway through the second game, the Aztecs made Arizona work for its 30-26, 30-26, 32-30 win in Peterson Gym before a crowd of 456. It was the season opener for both squads.
Game one of the match was tied at 26-26 before the visitors scored four straight points for the win. The second game saw San Diego State fall behind by three points early and it was never able to make up the difference in falling again by a four-point margin. The final game of the match saw the Aztecs take a 29-26 lead before the more experienced Wildcats rallied to win by two.
Three players led SDSU with eight kills apiece: junior Melissa Stapley and Angela Verdenacci along with freshman Lindsey Mahan. Mahan, who hit .462 for the match, was one of two freshman starters (along with setter Kristen Castillo) while another first-year player, Aime Cordeiro, started in the libero role in all three games. San Diego State's Kara Moriarty, the lone senior and returning starter, had six kills through the first game-and-a-half before falling victim to a pulled abdominal muscle. She did not return to the match and her absence was felt in the game three.
Aztec junior outside hitter Ashley Bowker led SDSU with five blocks while Castillo, who also contributed 27 assists, had four. The duo combined for nine of the team's 14 block assists on the night. Arizona was led by Jennifer Abernathy's 16 kills while Bre Ladd and Meghan Cumpston recorded 13 and 10 respectively. The Wildcats hit .301 over the three games to .235 for the Aztecs.
Up next for SDSU is the annual San Diego State Invitational which begins Friday in Peterson Gym. The round robin event, which features 18th-ranked UC Santa Barbara, Texas Tech and Wichita State, gets underway with UCSB taking on Wichita State at 10:00 a.m. Friday morning. SDSU opens play that afternoon at 12:30 p.m. vs. Texas Tech.