Aug. 29, 2008
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State's 2008 volleyball season got off to a rough start as Aztecs fell to UC Irvine, 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-23) on the opening night of the annual Aztec Invitational. A young SDSU squad was overwhelmed in the opening set, then dropped a pair of two-point decisions as it lost in its first meeting with the Anteaters since 2002.
Sophomore middle blocker Lauren Salisbury led all players with a dozen kills and was the only player for either side to finish in double figures in that category. Her attack percentage of .800 (12 kills, 0 errors, 15 total attacks) marked a career best for the second-year player from Southlake, Texas.
Right side hitter Kelsey Manasco, another sophomore from Texas (Arlington), tallied eight kills (one shy of a personal best) while hitting a career-high .500 over the three sets. Freshman setter Lauren Van Orden contributed 19 assists while playing alongside senior Leah Lathrop, who had 14.
The Aztecs totaled 38 digs as a team led by libero Michelle Ferrer with 12. Ten of the 13 players who saw action for SDSU had at least one dig.
Larissa Nordyke led the visitors with nine kills while three others had seven apiece. The Anteaters hit .327 for the match and served up seven aces compared to none for SDSU, which finished with a .273 attack percentage.
In the opening set, UC Irvine raced out to a 10-4 lead and never looked back in the 25-13 victory. San Diego State could muster only three kills in the set with 10 of their points coming on service and attack errors by the Anteaters.
The Aztecs, who seemed nervous in the first contest, seemed to settle down in the second set. Although they trailed most of the way, back-to-back points saw them draw to within 24-23 before Nordyke hit a winner that gave UCI a two-sets-to-none advantage. Stephanie Darnall led all players with five kills.
The third set saw five lead changes and the scored tied on eight occasions. Just as in the previous contest, SDSU scored a pair of late points late to make it a 24-23 contest in favor of the Anteaters, but again Nordyke came through with the winning hit to end the match.
San Diego State continues action in the Aztec Invitational on Saturday (Aug. 30) with a pair of matches. At 1:00 p.m. the Aztecs will take on Albany followed by a 7:00 p.m. meeting with 22nd-ranked San Diego.