Oct. 30, 2007
Complete Release and Season Statistics in PDF Format
AZTECS SET FOR THREE MATCHES IN FOUR DAYS
*** After not having played since Oct. 19 due to the fires in the San Diego Area, the SDSU volleyball team will play three times (twice on the road, once at home) over a four day stretch this week.
*** The Aztecs open play on Thursday, Nov. 1, when they visit Wyoming for a match scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. (MDT).
*** The next night, they will be in Colorado Springs to take on Air Force, also at 7:00 p.m. (MDT).
*** San Diego State then returns home to face Colorado State on Sunday (Nov. 4) at 11:30 a.m. in Peterson Gym. That match was re-scheduled from its original Oct. 27 date after the contest was postponed due to the wildfires in the county.
SERIES RECORDS
*** SDSU has lost just seven times in its previous 33 meetings with the University of Wyoming to lead the series, 26-7. Six of the seven Aztec losses in the series have come in Laramie. The teams first played each other during the 1984 season and have met annually (with the exception of 1998) on a home-and-home basis since 1990. The Cowgirls defeated SDSU, 3-1, in Peterson Gym in early October. SDSU 9-6 in matches played in Laramie.
*** San Diego State holds a 20-1 mark in its previous 21 meetings with Air Force. The teams first met in 1996 while both were members of the Western Athletic Conference. Prior to that season, the Falcons had competed in the Colorado Athletic Conference with 1996 being their first year as a member of Division I. Air Force's lone win over SDSU came in Colorado Springs in 1999. San Diego State has won the last 16 meetings between the teams including a 3-0 victories at home this season. The Aztecs are 9-1 vs. the Falcons in Colorado Springs.
*** San Diego State is 14-22 in its series vs. Colorado State. The teams first met at the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national championship tournament in Santa Barbara in 1980. Three years later they faced off in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Aztecs ended an eight-match losing streak at the hands of the Rams when they defeated CSU, 3-0, in Peterson Gym in November 2002. SDSU has dropped its last 12 matches (and 19 of the last 20) against the Rams including a 3-0 loss in Fort Collins in late September. SDSU is 7-9 vs. Colorado in San Diego.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
*** Wyoming comes into the week with a record of 10-11 overall and 4-8 in the Mountain West Conference. The Cowgirls are led by senior outside hitters Rachel Smith (4.60 kpg, 2.40 dpg) and Angie Hellbaum (4.11 kpg, 2.44 dpg). UW leads the league in service aces with four players appearing among the top 10 in that category this week: Tasha Weishahn (0.41/g), Jessica Kagarise (0.33/game), Carissa Lee (0.32/game) and Rachel Smith (0.31/game).
*** Air Force begins the week with a mark of 7-19 (0-12 MWC) and will host UNLV on Thursday prior to facing SDSU the next evening. The Falcons have lost 12 in a row and have not won a game in league play. Air Force's top players include outside hitters Katie Batchelder (2.65 kpg, 2.35 dpg) and Caroline Kurtz (2.21 kpg, 2.39 dpg). Freshman Nicole Stillwell is the team's top blocker at 0.74 bpg while averaging 1.98 kpg.
*** Colorado State enters the week with a record of 16-5 overall and 9-2 in the Mountain West Conference. The Rams had an eight-match winning streak snapped when they fell at UNLV on Oct. 25. CSU is led by middle blocker Mekana Barnes, who has been named the MWC player of the week three times this season as well as AVCA national player of the week on one occasion. Barnes is averaging 3.89 kills and 1.79 blocks per game while hitting .405. Other top offensive players include outside hitter Jaime Strauss (4.16 kpg, 2.30 dpg) and right side hitter Tonya Mokelki (3.00 kpg, 1.08 dpg, 1.07 bpg).
WARNER GETS NUMBER 200
*** San Diego State head coach Mark Warner recorded his 200th career win with the Aztecs' victory over Air Force on Oct. 4.
*** Warner is in his 13th season at the helm of the Aztec women's program. His career record over that span stands at 200-188 (.515).
*** 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.
DARNALL LOST FOR THE SEASON
*** Sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Darnall suffered a broken leg (tibia) in the first game of the match at TCU on Oct. 13 and will miss the remainder of the season.
*** Darnall, who had started every match and played in every game this fall until she was injured, is the team leader in kills at 3.28 per game. She is also second in digs (2.65 dpg), behind only libero Aime Cordeiro.
*** She has reached double figures kills in 13 of the team's 19 matches.
*** Darnall, who recorded 10 double-doubles in her first season at SDSU last year, has added eight more in 2007.
MCMILLAN COMES THROUGH
*** In the absence of Darnall, sophomore Caitlin McMillan was called upon at TCU and she responded by recording 10 kills and 15 digs against the Horned Frogs.
*** It was the first double-double of her Aztec career.
*** Both her kill and digs totals in the TCU match represented career highs as well. Her two assists in that contest tied her previous best as an Aztec.
*** In SDSU's ensuing match at UNLV, McMillan started and compiled four kills and 12 digs.
MAHAN MAKING HER MARK
*** Senior Lindsey Mahan led the Aztecs with 17 kills at TCU on Oct. 13, one shy of her career high.
*** Over SDSU's last four matches, she is hitting .317 while averaging 3.16 kills per game.
*** She had her career-best 18 kills in the win over UNLV last Sept. 21. It marked the third time this season that she has set a personal best in that category.
*** Mahan set a career high with 10 blocks in the match vs. Northern Illinois on Sept. 8.
*** Her .305 overall hitting percentage is second on the team and ranks ninth in the Mountain West Conference this week.
*** She is second on the squad with a season average of 1.25 blocks per game. Mahan's blocking average over her previous three seasons as an Aztec was 0.88 bpg.
LATHROP DOUBLES UP
*** Setter Leah Lathrop had her fourth double-double of the season with 24 assists and 10 digs in the match at UNLV on Oct. 19.
*** It marked the eighth double-double effort of her three-year Aztec career.
*** She ranks seventh in MWC league matches this week in service aces with an average of 0.32 per game.
*** Lathrop has played in every game this season with the exception of the UNLV contest on Sept. 21, which she missed due to a sore back.
EVANS SOLID UP FRONT
*** Redshirt freshman Hannah Evans reached double figures in kills for the seventh time this season with 14 at TCU on Oct. 13.
*** In conference play she is averaging over two kills and just under two digs along with a half block a game.
*** Evans has recorded four double-doubles this year. She has been in double figures in kills seven times and hit double figures in digs on nine occasions.
*** Evans has started 19 of SDSU's 20 matches in 2007.
MANASCO MAKES GOOD
*** Freshman Kelsey Manasco tied her career best in kills with eight at UNLV in the team's last match on Oct. 19.
*** She had the same number against Texas-Pan American back on Sept. 8.
*** Manasco had a personal-best four blocks in the match at TCU on Oct. 13.
*** She has appeared in every game (nine) in each of SDSU's last two matches after having played in just 22 games in SDSU's previous 18 matches.
ON THE BLOCK
*** San Diego State has been out-blocked in a match in only three of its 20 contests this season.
*** In all matches, SDSU is averaging 3.10 blocks per game, second-best in the MWC.
*** This week, San Diego State ranks 21st in the nation in blocking. NCAA statistics are posted on Tuesday afternoons (at www.ncaa.org).
*** Individually, SDSU has two players in the top 10 in the MWC overall stats in blocking. Lauren Salisbury is fourth at 1.29 bpg while Lindsey Mahan is fifth at 1.24 bpg.
*** In league matches, Mahan ranks seventh at 1.17 per game.
DE TURK AT THE NET
*** Sydney De Turk, a senior transfer from Concordia University in Irvine, who appeared in just seven games a year ago in her first season as an Aztec, has started 12 of SDSU's last 13 matches.
*** She set her personal high in kills with 10 against Utah (Sept. 13) and then bettered that with 12 in the match vs. Brigham Young two days later.
*** De Turk also had a career-best nine blocks in each of those matches.
SALISBURY SHINES
*** First-year Aztec Lauren Salisbury (Southlake, Texas, Carroll HS) has started all 20 matches this season.
*** She enters the week as the overall team leader in blocking at 1.29 per game as well as hitting percentage (.314).
*** She hit double figures in kills for the 11th time this season with 11 at UNLV in SDSU's last outing.
*** She set a personal best with 25 kills in the win over UNLV on Sept. 21. Her previous high was 17 against Northern Illinois on Sept. 8.
*** Her .600 attack percentage in that match against UNLV is the highest for an Aztec this season.
*** Her overall hitting percentage ranks sixth in the MWC this week.
*** In league games, she is also hitting .314, seventh-best in the conference.
CORDEIRO SETS CAREER MARK
*** With 27 digs in the match against UNLV on Sept. 21, senior Aime Cordeiro set a new San Diego State career record in that category.
*** Her current total of 1,807 digs has surpassed the total of 1,678 set by Jackie Mendez (1985-88) and moved her into the all-time top spot.
*** Cordeiro's 30 digs vs. USD on Sept. 18 was the 10th time in her career that she has had at least 30 digs in a match, the most in SDSU history. Former Aztec Jackie Mendez ranks second with four 30-dig contests.
*** Cordeiro's average of 6.29 digs per game leads the MWC overall stats this week.
*** She ranks seventh in the NCAA Division I stats this week.
WORKING LONG HOURS
*** Seven of San Diego State's 20 matches this season have gone five games. The Aztecs are 4-3 in those contests.
*** 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 had been five (2002, 2003, 2006).
*** The team's best season record in those matches was 2-3 in both 2002 and 2006.
*** The last time SDSU had seven five-game contests in a season was in 1996, going 4-3 in those outings.
*** The Aztecs had eight five-game matches during the 1992 campaign.
DEFENDERS CONTRIBUTE
*** Two SDSU defensive specialists were instrumental in the win over UNLV back on Sept. 21.
*** Junior Michelle Ferrer and sophomore Brianna Bowman both played in all five games, their most action in a match as an Aztec.
*** Ferrer set a career best with 15 digs in the contest, surpassing her previous high of 10 against UC Santa Barbara in the season opener.
*** Bowman also had a personal best with 11 digs. Her career dig total entering the match was two.
DUAL SETTERS
*** With the exception of the match vs. UNLV on Sept. 21, the Aztecs have been rotating Kristen Castillo and Leah Lathrop at the setter position. Lathrop missed the match on Sept. 21 due to injury.
*** Because they are splitting time, neither has accumulated spectacular numbers, but together they are averaging 11.88 assists and 2.88 digs per game.
*** Lathrop has amassed 470 assists this season compared to 449 for Castillo.
*** Between the two, they are hitting .402 with 37 total kills in 82 attempts (four errors).
*** Castillo notched her fifth career double-double with 63 assists and 15 digs vs. UNLV on Sept. 21.
*** Lathrop recorded the eighth double-double of her SDSU with a 24-kill, 10-dig performance at UNLV on Oct. 19.
MOVING UP THE CHARTS
*** Senior setter Kristen Castillo has moved into fifth place on the career assist list with 2,505. She is 268 assists away from the number-four spot occupied by Liane Sato (1985-86) with 2,773 assists.
*** With 1,938 career assists, junior Leah Lathrop has moved up to the number-seven spot. She needs 301 assists to move up one spot by catching Melissa Stokes (1986-88) who recorded 2,239 assists as an Aztec.
RECORD SETTER
*** Libero Aime Cordeiro, who set an SDSU and Mountain West Conference record with 46 digs against Northern Illinois on Sept. 8, followed that up with a 44-dig outing in the team's next match against Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 11.
*** Despite falling two digs shy of tying her own record, the 44 digs established a new MWC mark for digs in a five-game match.
AZTEC NOTES
*** Lauren Salisbury and Lindsey Mahan are the only two Aztecs to have started every match this season.
*** Redshirt freshman Kate Ammerman made her first career appearance in the match against Air Force on Oct. 4.
*** SDSU has won the opening game in 14 of its 20 matches in 2007.
*** The Aztecs' six-match winning streak, which ended with the loss to BYU on Saturday Sept. 15, was their longest since 2003 when they recorded four consecutive victories twice during the season.
*** SDSU's 3-0 loss at Colorado State on Sept. 27 was the first time this season it has failed to win a game in match. That has since been followed by a 3-0 loss at New Mexico (Oct. 12).
*** Setter Kristen Castillo has recorded at least one kill in eight of SDSU's last 10 matches.
*** Lauren Salisbury, Sydney De Turk and Hannah Evans have at least one block in every match this season. Lindsey Mahan ended a streak of 14 matches in a row with a block when she was shut out at Colorado State on Sept. 27.