Aug. 24, 2011
LET THE SEASON BEGIN
San Diego State will begin its 2011 volleyball season on Friday, Aug. 26, when it hosts UC Irvine as part of the Aztec Invitational presented by the DoubleTree Mission Valley. That match gets underway at 7:00 p.m. on Aztec Court in Peterson Gym. The other tourney participants, Nevada and Portland, will square off in the Invitational opener at 5:00 p.m. On Saturday (Aug. 27), SDSU will play Portland at noon and conclude tourney play at 7:00 p.m. that night against Nevada.
The complete tourney schedule is as follows:
Friday, August 26
Portland vs. Nevada..................5:00 p.m.
UC Irvine vs. San Diego State...7:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 27
Nevada vs. UC Irvine................10:00 a.m.
Portland vs. San Diego State...12:00 p.m.
UC Irvine vs. Portland................5:00 p.m.
Nevada vs. San Diego State......7:00 p.m.
SERIES RECORDS
San Diego State's record against UC Irvine stands at 14-6 since the teams first squared off during the 1976 season. Last year the Anteaters took a five-set decision from the Aztecs at the Verizon Wireless Volleyball Challenge in Honolulu. The Aztecs are 10-3 all-time vs. the Anteaters in Peterson Gym, but UC Irvine has won the last two matches on SDU's home floor (2002 and 2008). San Diego State will be playing its first-ever volleyball matches against both Portland and Nevada.
FOR OPENERS
San Diego State's record in season openers stands at 18-17 since the sport began at SDSU in 1976. This will mark the Aztecs' 12th season opener at home in the past 13 years (since 1999). SDSU has a record of 14-13 when it begins the season in Peterson Gym.
PRESEASON ALL-MWC
Junior middle blocker Andrea Hannasch has been named to the preseason all-Mountain West Conference team. Hannasch was named to the all-MWC squad in 2010 after a season that included averages of 2.73 kills, 1.47 digs and 1.20 blocks per set in conference play.
TRANSFERS
The Aztecs have added a trio of transfers from other four-year schools to the 2011 SDSU roster. Andrea Terpstra is a sophomore middle blocker who spent the past two seasons at the University of Pacific. She was a medical redshirt there during the 2010 campaign. Emily Harris is a sophomore middle blocker from Western Michigan who was a 2010 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Ace during her final year of high school. Courtney Vaccarello is a sophomore libero who played at the University of Oregon last season.
LOCAL WALK-ONS
The SDSU roster contains a pair of talented walk-on players from local high schools. Lauren Hays played her prep volleyball at Patrick Henry High where she was a two-time all-CIF selection and three-time all-Eastern League honoree. Luciana Hanley is a libero/defensive specialist form Torrey Pines High who helped her team to Avocado League titles each of her final two seasons.
ATHLETIC RELATIVES
Two members of the 2011 Aztecs have notable athletic connections in their family. Redshirt freshman Oni Lattin's grandfather, David Lattin, was a member of the 1966 Texas Western (now UTEP) basketball team under Don Haskins that upset Kentucky for the national title. Emily Harris' father, Al Harris, played defensive end and linebacker for the Chicago Bears from 1979-84 and 1986-88 before finishing his career with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1989-90. In addition, assistant coach Melanie Greene's dad, Ken Greene, played pro football with the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Cardinals.
RETURNING LEAGUE LEADERS
The Aztecs return four players who finished among the top 10 in the Mountain West in various categories during the 2010 season. Setter Johnna Fouch was first in the MWC in assists with an average of 10.59 per set. Andrea Hannasch finished fifth in blocking at 1.23 per set. Libero Kristi Jackels was sixth in digs with an average of 3.70 per set. Raegan Shelton averaged 2.86 kills per set to rank 10th in that category.
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
The Mountain West coaches and media poll has predicted the Aztecs to finish third in the eight-team league. It is SDSU's highest preseason conference ranking since joining the league in 1999. Colorado State has been chosen to defend its Mountain West title from a year ago with New Mexico picked to finish second. The results of the preseason poll are as follows:
Team (1st-place votes) Pts.1. Colorado State (5)....602. New Mexico (3)........563. San Diego State.......514. TCU...................415. Wyoming...............276. Boise State...........257. UNLV..................208. Air Force..............8AZTECS ON TV
San Diego State is scheduled for four television appearances (two home, two away) during the upcoming season, the most for the team in its 12 years in the Mountain West. Home matches against Colorado State on Oct. 2 (CBS Sports Network) and UNLV (The MTN) on Oct. 21 will be televised. The away matches to be broadcast live include contests at TCU on Oct. 6 (The MTN) and at New Mexico on Oct. 9 (CBS Sports Network). All of SDSU's home matches (with the exception of the two televised contests) will be streamed live on the Internet at www.GoAztecs.com.