Oct. 31, 2008
SAN DIEGO - On Halloween night, the San Diego State volleyball team had a trick for UNLV and treated Aztec fans to a come-from-behind four-set victory over the Rebels in Peterson Gym. In what initially looked like it would be a short night for the San Diego State after UNLV dominated the opening set, the Aztecs fought back to defeat the Rebels by scores of 15-25, 25-23, 25-12, 25-22.
SDSU, which has won four of its last seven matches, improved to 8-13 overall and 5-6 in the Mountain West Conference. For the visitors, the result saw them continue a slide of three straight losses as they dropped to 13-11 (6-5 MWC).
With UNLV keying on SDSU's Lauren Salisbury, the sophomore middle blocker was held to six kills on the night, but accounted for a match-high six blocks along with four digs and a pair of service aces. With Salisbury held in check much of the night, four of her Aztec teammates ended the evening in double figures in kills led by freshman setter/opposite hitter Lauren Van Orden. Her .632 attack percentage over the four sets was a personal best and she added 28 assists to complete here 10th double-double of the year.
Kelsey Manasco and Stephanie Darnall contributed a dozen kills apiece in the total team effort. Manasco matched a personal best with a .500 hitting percentage and also had five blocks with Darnall notching seven digs and a pair of blocks as well. Freshman Kyley Sexton continued her run of excellent play with 11 kills, several of which came in crucial situations.
The Rebels, who were led by Cursty Jackson's 14 kills, came into the match leading the MWC in hitting percentage, assists and digs, but were bested by the Aztecs in each of those categories.
The evening did not start out well for San Diego State, which fell behind 10-3 in the opening set and was unable to recover. A .133 hitting percentage in the contest compared to .385 for the Rebels made it appear that UNLV might get the best of the home side for the second time this season.
However, the second set proved to be a much closer affair that saw SDSU trail by two points at 23-21. From there, a kill by Van Orden and a Rebel hitting error knotted the score before the Aztecs got back-to-back kills from Manasco to tie the match at one set apiece.
After the break, San Diego State came out and took charge of the third set, leading from start to finish in what turned out to be a one-sided affair. The Aztecs got five kills from Darnall and four each from Van Orden and Sexton as they hit .452 while holding the Rebels to a .000 attack percentage.
The fourth set saw SDSU grab a 6-4 lead and maintain that advantage for most of the contest. UNLV got to within a point at 18-17, but the Aztecs were able to hold them off and go on to capture the match with a three-point victory. San Diego State used a balanced attack in the set with four kills by Manasco and three apiece by Salisbury, Van Orden and Sexton.
Up next for the Aztecs is a Mountain West Conference encounter with Utah on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7:00 p.m. in Peterson Gym. The Utes enter the weekend just a half game behind league-leading Colorado State and they are receiving votes in the national poll.