Aug. 30, 2008
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State evened its early-season record at 1-1 as it recorded a 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 29-27) win over Albany (0-2) during day two of the annual Aztec Invitational. Sophomore Kelsey Manasco set career highs with 11 kills and six blocks while teammate Lauren Salisbury had 19 kills and seven blocks in the winning effort.
In addition to Manasco, senior libero Michelle Ferrer notched a personal career best with 25 digs. Stephanie Darnall chipped in with 10 kills while setters Leah Lathrop and Lauren Van Orden recorded 27 and 24 digs respectively.
As a team, the Aztecs led the match in kills (62-51), assists (56-46) digs (76-52) and team blocks (11-9). Four SDSU players had at least nine digs with Caitlin McMillan right behind Ferrer with 14, one shy of her career high.
Albany was led by Valerie Sourbeer's 128 kills while Kamisha Kellam tallied 13 kills along with nine blocks.
The opening set saw the Aztecs take the lead at 4-3 and remain on top for the remainder of the contest. Leading 20-17, SDSU recorded five of the final seven points with Lauren Salisbury ending the set with an emphatic kill. Stephanie Darnall led all players with six kills while Salisbury contributed five. The Aztecs hit .324 for the set while holding the Great Danes to a .179 attack percentage.
The roles looked to be reversed in the second set as Albany grabbed the lead at 4-2 and maintained its advantage until late in the contest when the Aztecs scored three straight points to go up 19-17. However, three service aces, two by Valerie Sourbeer, plus some Aztec attack errors allowed the great Danes to tie the score at 20-all and go on to the three-point victory. Sourbeer led the visitors with five kills in the set while Darnall and Salisbury had four apiece for SDSU.
The third set was a closely contested affair that turned when a pair of combination blocks by Salisbury and Caitlin McMillan followed by two more by Salisbury and Kelsey Manasco turned an 8-7 Albany lead into an 11-8 advantage for San Diego State. The visitors were able to climb back within a point only once over the remainder of the set as the Aztecs held off a late charge for the three-point victory.
The final set was a seesaw battle with SDSU leading early and Albany overtaking them at the mid-point of the contest before a 24-24 deadlock forced the contest to extra time. After the teams traded points, the Aztecs found themselves facing a 27-26 deficit and the prospect of a fifth set to decide the match. It was here that sophomore Kelsey Manasco asserted herself, recording three straight kills to give San Diego State the set and match. Freshman Kyley Sexton had six of her seven kills on the afternoon in the fourth set while Salisbury added four more to her total.
The Aztecs wrap up action in their preseason tourney later Saturday evening when they face 22nd-ranked San Diego at 7:00 p.m. in Peterson Gym.