Sept. 13, 2008
SPOKANE, Wash. - San Diego State split a pair of matches on Saturday as it concluded play at the Gonzaga Invitational in Spokane, Wash. A loss to the host school was followed by a stirring come-from-behind five-set win over Texas-El Paso that ended SDSU's four-match losing streak. After a 3-1 loss in the afternoon contest against the host Bulldogs, the Aztecs rallied for the victory over UTEP (24-26, 20-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-10) that improved their season record to 3-6.
Sophomore middle blocker Lauren Salisbury was SDSU's offensive star on the day, averaging 4.44 kills and 0.89 blocks per set while hitting a combined .466 over the two matches. She set a new career high with 28 kills in the win over the Miners and has now recorded a hitting percentage of .333 or better in six of the team's nine matches in 2008.
Freshman setter/outside hitter Lauren Van Orden also starred for San Diego State by hitting .417 with averages of 2.89 kills and 1.44 digs per set. She turned in season bests in the UTEP match with 15 kills and 29 assists, her second double-double effort of the year. For the second time this season she finished just shy of a triple-double as she had nine digs in that contest as well.
In addition, sophomore right side hitter Kelsey Manasco had 10 total blocks and 2.67 kills per set in the two matches while senior setter Leah Lathrop turned in her season high with 33 assists against UTEP and averaged 6.89 per set on the day.
After dropping the first two contests against Texas-El Paso (2-8), the Aztecs led 19-18 in the third set before running off five of the final six points. Included in that run were three kills by Salisbury and one each by Manasco and Van Orden.
SDSU led most of the way in the fourth set, but eventually found itself behind 23-22 and looking at the possibility of dropping its fifth straight match. But kills by Caitlyn McMillan and Salisbury plus a Miner attack error allowed the Aztecs to tie the contest at two sets apiece.
In the deciding set, the teams traded points until the score reached 8-8. A kill by Salisbury and a service ace by Lathrop plus a UTEP hitting error gave SDSU an 11-8 lead. After the Miners scored the next point, San Diego State took control of the set and match by scoring three more times on a pair of kills by Salisbury and an ace by McMillan to make it a 14-9 advantage. After the Miners got a point back, Hannah Evans completed the comeback with a kill for the match-winning point.
The victory marked the first time that San Diego State has recovered from a 2-0 set deficit to win a match since the 2003 campaign when it turned the trick in a match at the University of San Diego.
In their opening match of the day, the Aztecs dropped a four-set decision to Gonzaga (4-6) by scores of 19-25, 25-23, 29-27, 18-25. Five players finished in double figures for San Diego State led by Kelsey Manasco with 13. In addition, Stephanie Darnall and Lauren Salisbury had 12 apiece while teammates Lauren Van Orden and Kyley Sexton had 11.
Sexton's kill total was a season high for the freshman from Salem, Ore., while Van Orden matched her personal best (at the time) set against Weber State on Friday.
After the Bulldogs took the first set, the Aztecs found themselves down 23-22 in the second contest before a kill by Sexton and a pair of Gonzaga hitting errors allowed SDSU to tie it at one set apiece.
However, the third set was a mirror image of the second as San Diego State led 27-26 before an Elaina Renius kill and a pair of SDSU attack errors allowed the hosts to take a two-sets-to-one lead. The fourth set saw the Bulldogs score five straight points to go up 11-6 and build upon that advantage en route to claiming a victory in the match.
San Diego continues play on the road as it visits Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 6:00 p.m. before opening its 2008 Mountain West Conference campaign at Air Force next Saturday (Sept. 20).