Sept. 21, 2007
SAN DIEGO - On a night that saw an Aztec all-time career record broken and seven individual career bests set, San Diego State needed five games to defeat MWC co-leader UNLV, 3-2 (29-31, 30-26, 30-27, 28-30, 15-13), Friday evening in Peterson Gym. The match came down to the wire with just two points separating the teams in the deciding contest.
The win improved SDSU's overall record to 10-4 overall, its best showing at this point of the season since the 2001 campaign when they had the same mark. At 2-1 in conference play, the Aztecs have moved into a five-way tie for second place in the MWC after three games.
The loss ended a nine-match winning streak for the Rebels, who dropped to 10-2 overall and 2-1 in the league.
Senior libero Aime Cordeiro etched her name in the San Diego State record book as her 27 digs on the night give her a four-year total of 1,688, a new school record. She broke the old mark of 1,678 digs by Jackie Mendez that had stood since 1988.
Freshman Lauren Salisbury was among those setting personal career bests as she led SDSU with 25 kills, surpassing her previous high of 17 against Northern Illinois earlier this year. Senior Lindsey Mahan's 18 kills was also a career-high, bettering the 16 she turned in against Cal State Fullerton last week.
Stephanie Darnall recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 16 kills and 23 digs. Her dig total tied her career best which she set last season at Cal State Fullerton.
With Leah Lathrop sidelined due to injury, senior setter Kristen Castillo turned in one her best performances as an Aztec, setting personal bests with 63 assists and 15 digs to record her second double-double effort of the year. She also contributed five kills and three block assists.
A pair of seldom-used defensive specialists also made their mark during the match. Michelle Ferrer and Brianna Bowman made the most of their opportunities to set career bests in digs with 15 and 11 respectively.
For the Rebels, Maria Aladjova led all players with 27 kills while teammate Lauren Miramontes added 20. Aladjova completed a double-double with 14 digs while libero Jada Walker contributed 34 digs.
The match was nip and tuck all evening, even with San Diego State leading the way in almost every stat category. The Aztecs hit .203 to .154 by the Rebels and led in kills (82-75), assists (78-71), digs (107-106) and blocks (19-11). The only stat line in which SDSU trailed was in service aces where the visitors had a 4-1 advantage.
In game one, the Aztecs rallied late and had two chances at game point before eventually falling by two. Trailing 27-22, SDSU scored seven straight points on kills by Mahan, Salisbury and Darnall plus four Rebel attack errors. However, with two chances to close out the contest, a kill by UNLV's Lauren Miramontes and an SDSU hitting error tied the game at 29-29. A service ace by Jessica Walters and another Aztec attack error gave the visitors the victory.
The second game was almost a carbon copy of the opening contest, only this time the Aztecs took advantage of a late lead to knot the match at one game apiece. The teams stayed with a point of each other until SDSU scored three straight to take a 25-22 lead. UNLV was able to close within a point at 27-26, but the Aztecs scored the next three on a kill by Mahan and a pair of Rebel attack errors to capture the game, 30-26.
In the third contest, SDSU trailed 22-21, but got a pair of kills from Darnall, one from Cordeiro, and a UNLV setting error to grab a 25-22 lead. Although the Rebels rallied to tie the game at 27-all, a kill by Salisbury and a pair of hitting errors by UNLV allowed the Aztecs to secure the three-point win,
In game four, a late SDSU comeback fell short as UNLV captured a two-point win. Trailing 24-29, SDSU got to within a point on two kills by Salisbury, one by Darnall plus a Rebel hitting error. But a kill by Sara Nehf ended the Aztecs' hope as they saw the match tied at two games apiece.
The fifth and deciding game went down to the wire thanks to a spirited comeback by UNLV. With San Diego State leading 10-6, the Rebels rallied to tie the game at 12-12. The teams exchanged points to 13-all followed by a kill by Salisbury that gave SDSU a match-point opportunity. When Miramontes' kill attempt went wide during the next rally, the Aztecs celebrated the five-game win over the Rebels.
Up next for San State is a trip to Fort Collins next week where the Aztecs will face Colorado State on Thursday, Sept. 27, at 7:00 p.m. (MDT).