Nov. 4, 2007
SAN DIEGO - In match rescheduled from Oct. 27, 20th-ranked Colorado State came to Peterson Gym Sunday afternoon and handed San Diego State a 3-0 (30-21, 30-24, 30-20) setback in Mountain West Conference volleyball action. The contest was one that was postponed from its original date due to the wildfires in the San Diego county area that week.
Hannah Evans and Lauren Salisbury were the Aztecs' offensive leaders with nine kills apiece. Evans also had five digs, a block, assist and service ace while hitting .304. Salisbury added a block and a dig, leading all players with a .571 attack percentage. Freshman Kelsey Manasco finished with eight kills and a block as well.
Colorado State was led by 18 kills and four blocks from Mekana Barnes. Jamie Strauss added a double-double with 17 kills and 10 digs while Tessa Nelson chipped in with 13 kills.
San Diego State (12-11; 4-8 MWC) had trouble sustaining an offensive attack against the Rams, who hit .504 over the three games. That attack percentage was just shy of the best ever by an opponent against the Aztecs, a mark held by Stanford when it .505 vs. SDSU during the 1984 campaign.
The opening game saw Colorado State (17-5, 10-2 MWC) lead from start to finish although SDSU kept it close over the first third of the contest. With the Rams leading 11-10, the visitors took four of the next five points to open up a 15-11 lead. The Aztecs were only able to get as close as three the rest of the way (19-16) as CSU slowly pulled away from there. The game featured attacking efficiency by both sides as Colorado State hit .595 while SDSU had a .424 attack percentage.
In game two, the Rams jumped out to a 9-3 lead and never looked back, expanding that advantage to as many as 10 points at 18-8. The Aztecs tried to climb back into the contest, narrowing the lead to four points at 21-17, but that's as close as they could get the rest of the way. CSU hit .474 for the game as it got seven kills from Strauss and six from Barnes.
The third game provided an identical theme to the first two as Colorado State took a quick 7-1 lead. SDSU made a push by scoring six of the next seven points to trail by just one at 8-7, but from there the Rams again took command as they increased their lead and took the final five points of the game to close out the match.
Up next for San Diego State is a home match against TCU on Friday, Nov. 9, at 7:00 p.m. (PST) in Peterson Gym.