Sept. 5, 2007
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AZTECS VISIT LONE START STATE FOR TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI TOURNEY
*** San Diego State remains on the road this week as it travels to Corpus Christi, Texas, for the Islander Holiday Inn Emerald Beach Invitational.
*** The Aztecs' first match in that event will take place on Friday, Sept. 7, at 6:30 p.m. (CDT) when they face the host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders..
*** On Saturday (Sept. 8), SDSU will face Northern Illinois at 10:00 a.m. (CDT) and conclude tourney play at 6:30 p.m. (CDT) that evening against Texas-Pan American.
SERIES RECORDS
*** This weekend's matches against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas-Pan American and Northern Illinois will be San Diego State's first-ever meetings on the volleyball court with those teams.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
*** Texas A&M-Corpus Christi enters the week with a record of 2-4 after dropping a trio of three-game matches to Rice, LSU and Illinois at last weekend's Rice Mizuno Invitational. Friday's match vs. SDSU will be the home opener for TAMCC. The Islanders are led by right side hitter Christie Feliz (3.31 kpg, 2.62 dpg) and middle blocker Lauren Pasley (3.00 kpg, 1.11 dpg). TAMCC is hitting .142 as a team through its first six matches.
*** Northern Illinois' record stands at 3-4 as it prepares to host DePaul on Wednesday (Sept. 5) prior to competing in Corpus Christi. The Huskies won two of three at last weekend's Butler Invitational with victories over the tourney host and Tennessee Tech. NIU is led by outside hitters Laura Baetzel (3.24 kpg, 1.56 dpg) and Meagen Schoenrock (3.42 kpg), both of whom were named to the all-tourney team at Butler last weekend.
*** Texas-Pan American is off to a 2-7 start in 2007 after losing to Sam Houston State, Tulane and South Dakota State last weekend. UTPA is led by outside hitter Kellie Phillips (3.39 kpg, 2.87 dpg) and middle blocker Deanna Schneyer (2.04 kpg, 1.03 bpg). As a team, the Lady Broncs are hitting .149.
HEAD COACH Mark Warner
*** San Diego State head coach Mark Warner is in his 13th season at the helm of the Aztec women's program. His career record over that span stands at 193-181 (.516).
*** Over the past 12 years, Warner has led his teams to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths and a Western Athletic Conference championship. His tutelage has produced 15 all-conference players and he was named the Mountain West Conference co-coach of the year in 2002.
LAST WEEKEND
*** SDSU opened play at the Hofstra/Asics Invitational last weekend with a 3-0 (30-22, 30-21, 30-17) win over Ball State. The Aztecs were led by nine kills apiece from Lauren Salisbury and Kelley Wahlin along with five blocks by both Salisbury and Sydney De Turk.
*** The next morning, SDSU dropped a four-game match to Siena by scores of 30-24, 22-30, 19-30, 28-30). Stephanie Darnall was the lone Aztec to reach double figures in kills with 17 and she added 14 digs. Aime Cordeiro led all players with 25 digs while Salisbury again registered five blocks.
*** That evening, the Aztecs needed five games to defeat Hofstra with game scores of 30-27m 30-21, 21-30, 28-30, 15-11. For Aztecs hits double figures in kills including Hannah Evans (16), Darnall (14), Salisbury (12) and Lindsey Mahan (11). Cordeiro added 31 blocks in the winning effort.
ALL-TOURNEY AZTECS
*** Outside hitter Stephanie Darnall and libero Aime Cordeiro were named to the all-tournament team at last weekend's Hofstra/Asics Invitational.
*** Darnall finished with averages of 3.17 kills, 2.75 digs and 0.33 blocks per game.
*** Cordeiro, meanwhile, had 6.42 digs per game and added 4 kills from the back row.
*** It was the second weekend in which Cordeiro earned all-tournament honors this season.
DARNALL LEADS THE OFFENSE
*** Sophomore Stephanie Darnall, who recorded 10 double-doubles in her first season at SDSU last year, added one more last weekend and now has four in SDSU's opening six matches of 2007.
*** Her latest effort was a 17-kill, 14 dig performance in the loss to Siena on Saturday.
*** Darnall's 25 kills vs. Long Island on Aug. 25 was a new career best, surpassing her previous high of 19 set twice in 2006.
*** Darnall also set a personal best with four solo blocks and five total blocks in the contest vs. Fairfield on Aug. 25. Her three assists vs. UCSB on Aug. 24 was also a career high.
MAHAN IN THE MIDDLE
*** Senior Lindsey Mahan has gotten her final season off to a solid star as she tied her career kill mark in the season opener vs. UC Santa Barbara, then broke it two matches later.
*** In her 2007 season debut, she totaled 14 kills to match her personal best set three times previously. In the contest against Long Island the following day, she improved that mark with 15 kills.
*** Here .338 hitting percentage leads the team and ranks sixth in the Mountain West Conference this week.
*** She is tied for second on the squad with an average of 1.08 blocks per game. Her pervious three-year average was 0.88 bpg
CORDEIRO CLOSES IN
*** After posting 77 digs in last weekend's three matches at the Hofstra tournament, senior Aime Cordeiro is closing in on the SDSU career record place that category.
*** Her total of 1,451 digs has surpassed the total of 1,369 set by Juliana Cezar (1993-96) and moved her into the number-two spot.
*** The San Diego State career mark of 1,678 is held by Jackie Mendez (1985-88) with Cordeiro 227 digs to match that total.
*** Cordeiro's 31 digs vs. Hofstra was the sixth time in her career that she has posted at least 30 digs in a match, the most in SDSU history. Former Aztec Jackie Mendez ranks second with four 30-dig contests.
DUAL SETTERS
*** Through the first six matches of 2007, the Aztecs are rotating Kristen Castillo and Leah Lathrop at the setter position.
*** Because they are splitting time, neither has accumulating spectacular numbers, but together they are averaging 11.40 assists and 2.64 digs per game.
*** Between the two, they are hitting .567 with 17 total kills and no attack errors in 30 attempts. *** Castillo ranks sixth on the career assist list with 2,193. She is just 46 assists away form the number-five spot is occupied by Melissa Stokes (1986-88) with 2,239 assists.
*** With 1,603 career assists, junior Leah has moved into the SDSU top 10. The ninth spot is held by Lisa Bostian (1997-99) with 1,643 assists.
*** Lathrop recorded the fifth double-double of her SDSU career with a 16-assist, 12-dig performance vs. Fairfield on Aug. 25.
SALISBURY SHINES
*** First-year Aztec Lauren Salisbury (Southlake, Texas, Carroll HS) has started all six matches this season and has been impressive.
*** Last weekend at the Hofstra Invitational, she averaged 2.42 kills and 1.25 blocks per game while hitting .377 over SDSU's three matches.
*** She opened her SDSU career with a 10-kill, seven-block effort vs. UC Santa Barbara on Aug. 24.
*** She enters the week as the team leader in blocking at 1.32 per game.
EVANS CONTINUES SOLID PLAY
*** Redshirt freshman Hannah Evans continues to shine in her first season of action at SDSU.
*** She recorded her third double-double of the year with 16 kills and 15 digs vs. Hofstra last Saturday. She also hit a career-high .303 in that match.
*** Her 16 kills against Hofstra was a career best.
*** She has hit double figures in kills in three of the team's six matches and in digs on four occasions.
*** In SDSU's season-opening weekend (Aug. 24-25), Evans recorded double-double efforts against both UC Santa Barbara (12 kills, 17 digs) and Long Island (15 kills, 16 digs).
*** Her 10 service aces leads the squad and she ranks third in kill average at 2.52 per game.
DE TURK MAKING A MARK
*** Sydney De Turk continued her solid play during last weekend's three matches. During the Hofstra tournament she average 1.25 kills and 1.17 blocks per game.
*** The senior transfer from Concordia University in Irvine, who appeared in just seven games a year ago in her first season as an Aztec, set her personal highs in digs (four), block assists (seven) and total blocks (seven) in the opener vs. UC Santa Barbara on Aug. 24.
*** She also had career-bests seven kills and four assists in the win over Fairfield the following day.
AMONG THE MWC LEADERS
*** As a team, SDSU ranks among the top four in four categories in the early Mountain West Conference statistics:
Blocks....2nd....3.02/gDigs......2nd...16.92/gKills.....4th...14.80/gAssists...4th...13.36/g*** Individually, several Aztecs ranks among the top 10 in the MWC. That number includes:Hitting..Mahan.......338 (6th) Salisbury...323 (8th)Kills....Darnall.....3.88/g..(8th)Aces.....Lathrop.....0.40 (7th) Evans.......0.40 (7th)Blocks...Salisbury...1.32/g (4th) Mahan.......1.08/g (8th) De Turk.....1.08 (8th)Digs..Cordeiro..5.87/g (2nd)WORKING LONG HOURS
*** After six matches, San Diego State has played five games in three of those outings.
*** Last season, SDSU went 2-3 in five-game matches.
*** Since going to rally scoring in 2001, the highest number of five-game matches in a season for the Aztecs has been five (2002, 2003, 2006).
*** The team's best season record in those matches was 2-3 in both 2002 and 2006.
AZTEC NOTES
*** Senior Kelley Wahlin has her best kill efforts of the young season last weekend with a personal season-best nine against Ball State and eight vs. both Siena and Hofstra.
*** SDSU has used the same starting lineup in each of its first six matches.
*** Senior Kelley Wahlin's 10 total blocks vs. UC Santa Barbara on Aug. 24 is tied for the most by a Mountain West Conference player in 2007.
*** Seniors Lindsey Mahan and Kristen Castillo have been named SDSU's 2007 team captains.
*** Freshman Tara Hovland is the daughter of USC All-American and legendary beach volleyball player Tim Hovland.
*** Melanie Greene, who was a senior on the 2006 Aztec squad, will serve as a volunteer assistant coach this season.
UP NEXT
*** SDSU returns home next week to face Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 6:00 p.m. in Peterson Gym.
*** The Aztecs will then open Mountain West Conference play at home on the weekend with matches against Utah on Thursday (Sept. 13) and Brigham Young on Saturday (Sept. 15), both at 7:00 p.m. in Peterson Gym.