Aug. 31, 2007
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - After playing a pair of five-game matches last weekend during the Aztec Invitational, San Diego State made its first road outing a quick one as it disposed of Ball State in three games (30-22, 30-21, 30-17) in the opening contest at the Hofstra/ASICS Invitational in Hempstead. N.Y. SDSU needed just 1:24 to take care of the Cardinals as they it won for the third time in four outings this season. Ball State, meanwhile, saw its record drop to 1-3.
Senior Kelley Wahlin and freshman Lauren Salisbury led the SDSU attack with nine kills apiece. Wahlin hit .529 on the afternoon and added a block while Salisbury chipped in with five blocks and an assist while hitting .471 for the match.
Right side hitter Sydney De Turk had eight kills, a pair of digs and five blocks while teammates Stephanie Darnall and Lindsey Mahan contributed seven kill eachs. Defensively, senior libero Aime Cordeiro had her usual steady performance, finishing with 21 digs.
Ball State's Elaina Kakatolis led all players in the match with 10 kills, but the Aztecs out-paced the Cardinals in that category by a 49-36 count.
After Ball State scored the opening point of the match in the first game, SDSU ran off eight straight thanks to three service aces by Evans and a pair of kills by Salisbury. Both Wahlin and Salisbury notched five kills in the contest.
In game two, the Aztecs jumped put to a 12-4 lead led by Mahan's two kills and a service ace plus a pair of put-aways by Evans. Mahan was the offensive leader with five kills and three blocks in the nine-point win.
The third game was almost a re-run of game two as San Diego State took an 11-4 lead and never looked back. This time it was De Turk's turn to lead the way as she recorded five kills and a block.
The Aztecs turned in their top hitting percentage of the season with a mark of .295 for the match compared to .120 for Ball State. Another big difference came at the net where SDSU had 11 team blocks to just three for the Cardinals.
San Diego State continues play on Saturday (Sept.1) as it will face Siena in the first match of the day at 9:30 a.m. (EDT). The Aztecs will wrap up weekend action with a contest against tourney host Hofstra that evening at 5:30 p.m. (EDT).