Oct. 13, 2011
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State got contributions from 15 players as it downed a stubborn Air Force squad in three sets (25-17, 25-17, 25-15) Thursday night on Aztec Court in Peterson Gym. By winning for the fifth time in its last six outings, SDSU improved to 11-5 overall and remained tied for second in the Mountain West at 4-2.
Aztec unior middle blocker Andrea Hannasch led all players with 13 kills and added three blocks while hitting .500 over the three sets. She was the only player on either side to reach double figures in kills on the night.
Freshman Chaiymin Steel finished with eight kills two blocks, four digs and a .467 attack percentage while teammates Raegan Shelton and Kyley Sexton chipped in with six kills apiece.
For the Falcons, Cami Richan and Victoria Foster had six kills apiece, but Air Force was unable to keep up with the pace of San Diego State's offensive output. As a team, the home side had 45 kills to 27 by Air Force, finishing with a .368 team hitting percentage to just .155 for the Falcons.
Despite its record, Air Force (3-16, 0-6 MW) showed it came to play as the first set saw the team separated by no more than two points for most of the contest. With the Aztecs ahead 18-17 late in the game, they finally were able to take control, scoring the next seven points in a row. Steel and Shelton had four kills apiece in the game for SDSU while Paije Pearson and Emily Harris chipped in with three blocks each.
The second set saw San Diego State gain the upper hand only after the Falcons rallied from a 7-2 deficit to knot the score at 10-10. From there the Aztecs notched six of the next seven points behind a pair of aces by Sexton along with two kills from Hannasch and one by Shelton. Hannasch had six kills in the contest as SDSU went on to another eight-point win.
After the break, the Aztecs immediately took control of set number three, running out to a 7-0 lead spearheaded by a trio of kills by Sexton, who finished with six in the game. Air Force would get no closer than five the rest of the way as SDSU closed out the match on back-to-back kills by Oni Latin and Summer Nash. Assists on the final two points were provided by Amber Davidson, a second-year senior making her first appearance for the Red and Black.
Up next for San Diego State is a meeting with Mountain West newcomer Boise State on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 1:00 p.m. on Aztec Court in Peterson Gym.