Aug. 28, 2009
SEATTLE, Wash. - San Diego State head volleyball coach Deitre Collins-Parker got her tenure at SDSU off to the perfect start as the Aztecs defeated Seattle in three sets (25-19, 25-19, 25-19) in the opening match of The Invitational in Seattle, Washington Friday evening. The match was the season opener for both teams with SDSU opening its campaign on the road for the first time since 1999.
The Aztecs were led by freshman middle blocker Andrea Hannasch (New Braunfels, Texas) along with veterans Lauren Salisbury and Paije Pearson. Hannasch, making her collegiate debut, led all players with 12 kills and a .625 hitting percentage. The former all-state prep standout also contributed a service ace, two digs and a pair of blocks over the three-set contest.
Pearson, a sophomore from Chandler, Ariz., made her first career start her at SDSU and responded with career bests of 10 kills, four blocks and a .562 attack percentage. Salisbury, a preseason all-conference selection, also notched 10 kills with a .400 hitting percentage and five blocks.
In addition, setter Lauren Van Orden turned in a career-best 44 assists while redshirt freshman Kristi Jackels made her debut at the libero position and recorded a team-high 13 digs.
In the opening set, San Diego State quickly found itself trailing 4-0 before working its way into the contest and taking the lead at 12-11. With the score tied at 14-all, the Aztecs ran off three straight points behind kills by Hannah Evans and Pearson plus a Seattle hitting error. From there they slowly built that advantage into a six-point set victory. Salisbury had five kills and three blocks to lead SDSU to the set win.
The second game saw the Redhawks take control early and jump out to a 17-10 lead only to see the Aztecs score 13 of the next 14 points to take control. That run included three kills and a block apiece by Hannasch and Pearson plus back-to-back kills from Salisbury that gave the visitors a 23-18 advantage. Hannasch and Pearson had five and four kills total respectively in the set.
The third contest was similar to the opener with the teams staying close until 14-14 when the Aztecs grabbed three straight points on a Salisbury kill, Seattle attack error and a service ace by Jackels. Evans led SDSU with five kills in the set to help wrap up the match victory.
San Diego State continues play at The Invitational in Seattle, Washington on Saturday (Aug. 29) with a match against San Jose State at 1:00 p.m. (PT) followed by a contest against 4th-ranked Washington that evening at 7:00 p.m.