Oct. 8, 2008
Complete Release and Season Statistics in PDF Format
AZTECS VISIT BEEHIVE STATE FOR PAIR OF MWC MATCHES
San Diego State winds up a string of three consecutive road matches when it travels to Provo, Utah, this Thursday (Oct. 9) for a contest against Mountain West Conference foe Brigham Young. That match is slated for a 7:00 p.m. (MDT) start at the Cougars' Smith Fieldhouse. Two days later (Saturday, Oct. 11), the Aztecs will be in Salt Lake City to face Utah in a match scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. (PDT). Fans can follow the action during this week's matches on the Internet by going to Aztec web site and clicking on the GameTracker link under Aztecs Today.
SDSU-BYU ON TV
San Diego State's contest at Brigham Young on Oct. 9 will be televised live on BYU Television at 6:00 p.m. (Pacific). The match will also be streamed live on the Internet at BYUTV.org.
SERIES RECORD
Brigham Young holds a 36-16 advantage over SDSU in the series that began in 1977. The Cougars had won nine in a row over San Diego State until they were upset by the Aztecs at the 2006 Mountain West Conference tournament. SDSU has a record of 6-15 at home, 3-17 away and 7-4 at neutral sites vs. BYU.
SDSU's all-time record against Utah stands at 18-19 since the teams first met in 1982. The Utes have won 10 of the last 12 matches in the series with the Aztecs' last victory coming in Peterson Gym in September 2007. San Diego State is 11-5 vs. Utah at home, 7-12 in Salt Lake City and 0-2 at neutral venues.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Brigham Young enters the week with an overall record of 9-5 and a mark of 2-3 in conference play. The Cougars were ranked 21st in the nation prior to suffering upset losses at New Mexico and TCU last weekend. BYU is led by Bryn Porter (3.02 kps, 2.10 dps) and Rachel Dyer (2.35 kps, 1.12 bps). Dyer ranks among the top 10 in the MWC in hitting percentage (.347), blocks (1.12 bps) and service aces (0.31 aps). In league matches, the Cougars are averaging two service aces per set.
Utah's record stands at 11-4 (3-2 MWC) with the Utes scheduled to face TCU at home on Thursday prior to hosting San Diego State on Saturday. Utah has won four in a row since being upset at Wyoming three weeks ago. The Ute offense is led by Lori Baird (3.07 kps, 1.52 dps, 1.39 bps) and Kathryn Haynie (2.76 kps, 2.28 dps). Emilie Toone, who redshirted with an injury in 2007, leads the conference in hitting percentage both overall (.411) and in league matches (.475).
HEAD COACH Mark Warner
San Diego State head coach Mark Warner is in his 14th season at the helm of the Aztec women's program. His career record over that span stands at 206-205 (.501). Over the past 13 years, Warner has led his teams to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths and a Western Athletic Conference championship. His tutelage has produced 15 all-conference players and he was named the Mountain West Conference co-coach of the year in 2002. Warner has announced his retirement effective at the end of the 2008 season after serving Aztec volleyball (men's and women's) for the past 27 years.
MOST RECENTLY
SDSU dropped its lone match last week, a Mountain West Conference contest at UNLV, in four sets (20-25, 25-18, 23-25, 19-25). Three Aztecs finished in double figures in kills led by 13 from Lauren Salisbury. Stephanie Darnall and Lauren Van Orden had 12 and 11 kills respectively. Salisbury also contributed nine total blocks while libero Michelle Ferrer had 19 digs.
VAN ORDEN HITS AWAY
Setter Lauren Van Orden recorded double figures in kills for the fourth time this season with 11 at UNLV last Friday. Over San Diego State's last seven matches, freshman setter Lauren Van Orden has compiled a .275 attack percentage. She is also averaging 2.36 kills per set in those contests. Van Orden leads SDSU in service aces on the year with a total of 14 (an average of 0.27 per set). With 15 assists in the UNLV match, she has now recorded three double-doubles in her first season of collegiate play. She had 11 kills and 23 assists vs. Gonzaga followed by 15 kills and 29 assists against Texas-El Paso (both on Sept. 13). Her other double-double came vs. Texas-San Antonio (Sept. 5) when she had 23 assists and 11 digs. On three occasions, she has finished one kill or one dig shy of recording a triple-double effort. SDSU's last triple-double was turned in by Aspen McPartland against Santa Clara on Sept, 5, 2003. Leah Lathrop is the only other Aztec to have recorded a double-double during the 2008 season.
LATHROP ON THE DOUBLE
With 26 assists and 15 digs at UNLV last week, senior setter Leah Lathrop recorded her first double-double of the season and the eighth of her SDSU career. The 15 digs tied her career-best mark set against Wyoming on Nov. 4, 2006. Lathrop had a string of 12 straight matches in double figures in assists ended against New Mexico on Sept. 25 when she finished with eight. Going back to last season, that streak had reached 16 consecutive contests. She has finished in double figures in assists in 13 of SDSU's 14 matches this fall. Lathrop's three kills vs. TCU on Sept. 27 was a season high while her eight digs equaled her highest total of 2008.
SALISBURY PACES OFFENSE
Lauren Salisbury's nine blocks at UNLV last weekend was a season high and just one shy of her SDSU career best of 10 set vs. BYU in 2007. She leads the squad in kill average (3.25 kps) and hitting percentage (.349). Salisbury's .800 attack percentage vs. UC Irvine in the season opener (Aug. 29) was a career best for the second-year Aztec. She has reached double figures in kills in nine of the team's 14 matches this season and has turned in hitting percentages of .300 or higher on nine occasions. She has cracked the .400 mark in hitting percentage in five matches.
DARNALL ON THE ATTACK
Stephanie Darnall's 12 kills against UNLV matched her second-best total of the season. She remains second on the team in kill average at 2.53 kps. She is also second in service aces with eight. Her kills total at UNLV on Oct. 3 marked the eighth time she has hit double figures in that category this season. Against Texas-El Paso on Sept. 13, she had a season-high 10 digs despite playing in only two games during the set.
HELLWIG AT THE NET
Redshirt sophomore Bailee Hellwig recorded three blocks against UNLV after being shut out in the previous match vs. TCU. She was held without a block in the contest against TCU in which she played in only one set. It was the first match this season in which she did not record at least one block. She set her new SDSU career bests with eight block assists and 10 total blocks in the match vs. Weber State on Sept. 12. She enters the week second on the team in blocking at 1.04 per set.
FERRER GETS DEFENSIVE
Senior Michelle Ferrer's 19-dig effort at UNLV last weekend was the second-highest output of her SDSU career. Through 14 matches, she is averaging 3.54 digs per set and has been in double figures in that category a total of 11 times in 2008. Her dig average ranks fourth overall in the MWC this week.
AMONG THE MWC OVERALL STAT LEADERS
Lauren Salisbury ranks among the top 10 in the Mountain West Conference overall statistics in four categories. Her .356 attack percentage ranks third in the league while her 3.25 kills per set average is fourth-best. She is also third in scoring with a mark of 3.96 points per set and ninth in blocking at 1.08 bps. Libero Michelle Ferrer is fourth in digs at 3.54 per set. Leah Lathrop, who shares setting duties with Lauren Van Orden, is 10th in assists at 5.29 per set. Van Orden ranks 10th in service aces at 0.27 per set.
MWC MATCH LEADERS
After three weeks of conference play, four Aztecs find themselves among the top 10 in league-match statistics. Salisbury ranks ninth in hitting percentage at .283, second in blocking at 1.69 bps, fourth in points at 4.15 per set and seventh in kills at 3.00 kps. Van Orden is sixth in serve aces with an average of 0.38 per set. Stephanie Darnall is ninth in kills at 2.69 kps while Michelle Ferrer is sixth in digs at 3.62 per set.
MOVIN' UP THE CHARTS
With 26 assists at UNLV last Friday, senior Leah Lathrop has increased her career total to 2,375 to move into sixth place on the SDSU career list. She needs 281 assists to climb into a fifth-place tie with Kristen Castillo (2,656), who finished her four-year Aztec career in 2007. Fourth place is occupied by Liane Sato (1985-86) with 2,773 career assists.
AZTEC NOTES
Kyley Sexton set a career high with five total blocks against UNLV on Oct. 3 ... Lauren Salisbury is the only player to have started all 14 of SDSU's matches. Stephanie Darnall, Bailee Hellwig and Lauren Van Orden have started 12 times each ... SDSU has won the first set in just three of its 14 matches this season. The Aztecs defeated Albany (3-1) on Aug. 30, lost to Weber State (2-3) on Sept. 12 and defeated Air Force (3-0) on Sept. 20.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs will return home next week to host a pair of Mountain West Conference matches. SDSU will open the homestand with a contest against Wyoming on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 7:00 p.m. in Peterson Gym. Two days later, the Aztecs will face Colorado State in an afternoon affair on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 2:00 p.m.