Nov. 12, 2006
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State was a model of efficiency Sunday afternoon as it defeated Air Force in three games (30-16, 30-8, 3-12) in Peterson Gym. The win helped erase the disappointment of Friday night's five-game loss to Colorado State and ended a short two-match losing streak. With the victory, the Aztecs improved to 11-16 on the year and 5-10 in Mountain West Conference play. Air Force, meanwhile, suffered its seventh straight loss as it dropped to 3-21 (0-14 MWC).
SDSU senior Audra Dent was the lone player from either side to hit double figures in kills, finishing with 15. In addition, she had a six blocks, two digs and an assist while hitting a match-high .619 over the three games.
Aztec freshman Stephanie Darnall contributed eight kills and hit .500 while Melanie Greene had six kills and a .385 attack percentage. SDSU's other freshman starter, middle blocker Bailee Hellwig, hit .400 on the day with five kills, and also chipped in with four blocks.
As a team, San Diego State hit .407 for the match, the Aztecs' highest mark this season. SDSU led the match in every statistical category including kills (44-19), assists (36-18), service aces (9-0), digs (33-20) and blocks (9.5-4).
The Falcons were held to a team hitting percentage of .000, the lowest by an Aztec opponent in 2006. Air Force was led offensively by Kristina Stewart, who finished with seven kills and a team-high .176 attack percentage.
San Diego State never trailed in any of the three games during the match and put together big scoring runs in each contest. With the score tied at 1-1 in game one, the Aztecs ran off eight straight points. In the second contest, they put together a 10-point run after the Falcons had tied the score at 2-2. In game three, an 11-point surge took the score from 14-7 to 25-7 in favor of SDSU.
Up next for the Aztecs is their 2006 regular-season finale as they will host UNLV On Friday, Nov. 17, at 7:00 p.m. in Peterson Gym. That match will be SDSU's annual Senior night as it honors seniors Audra Dent and Melanie Greene, who will be making the final home appearances of their collegiate careers.