Sept. 6, 2008
WACO, Texas - San Diego State concluded play at the 2008 Baylor Classic Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 (35-28, 25-16, 21-25, 25-19) loss to Weber State. The loss was SDSU's second of the weekend and dropped their record to 2-4. The Wildcats, meanwhile, improved to 4-3 in their first-ever meeting with the Aztecs.
Outside hitter Stephanie Darnall led SDSU with 14 kills, matching her season high of 14 set against Texas-San Antonio on Friday. She hit .323 for the match, her best attack percentage of the season, and also contributed two service aces, seven digs and three blocks.
Lauren Salisbury and Lauren Van Orden contributed eight kills apiece with Salisbury recording seven blocks to tie her season high. Van Orden also chipped in with eight digs, second on the squad to libero Michelle Ferrer, who finished with a dozen.
Weber State was paced by a trio of players in double figures in kills led by Chelsea Bair with 18. Teammates Leah Burmeister and Brittney Bisaillon had 11 kills apiece with Caitlyn Anderson anchoring the defense with 17 digs.
In the opening set, San Diego State led 9-7 before Weber State reeled off five straight points to take a lead it would not relinquish. Included in that run was a pair of service aces by Bair, kills by Micah Folsom and Burmeister plus an Aztec attack error.
The second set saw the Wildcats open up a quick 8-3 advantage and build that into a nine-point victory. Bair and Bisaillon had four kills apiece for WSU while the Aztecs could muster only five total kills led by a pair from Darnall.
After the break SDSU came out for the third set and jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but saw that advantage evaporate when Weber State knotted the score at 17-all. After the teams traded points, the Aztecs scored three straight on a pair of kills by Darnall and a Wildcat setting error to take a 20-17 lead and go on to win the set.
In the fourth set, Weber State scored the first three points and led from start to finish to close out the match. Although both teams recorded 15 kills in the contest, the Wildcats were more efficient in compiling a .314 hitting percentage compared to .189 for SDSU.
Up next for San Diego State is a trip to Spokane, Wash., to pay in the Gonzaga Invitational. By a scheduling quirk, the Aztecs will open that tourney with a match against Weber State next Friday, Sept. 12, at 5:00 p.m. (PDT).