Oct. 15, 2011
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State disposed of Mountain West newcomer Boise State in three sets (25-15, 25-12, 25-23) Saturday afternoon and moved into sole possession of second place at the halfway point of the conference season. With the win, the Aztecs improved to 12-5 (5-2 MW) as they won their fourth straight match and sixth in their last seven outings.
For the second consecutive match junior middle blocker Andrea Hannasch led SDSU with 13 kills and also contributed a pair of blocks and two digs. Her .765 hitting percentage for the match was a new career best as she had no hitting errors on 17 attacks.
Kyley Sexton finished with eight kills while teammates Paije Pearson, Raegan Shelton and Chaiymin Steel notched six apiece. Emily Harris along with Sexton tied for team-high honors with three blocks each while 11 different Aztecs had at least one dig on the match led by Sexton and Kristi Jackels with six.
Darlene Nwagbuo led the Broncos (12-10, 3-4 MW) with seven kills, but the visitors were unable to match San Diego State's offensive output as the hosts ended the afternoon with 45 kills and a .333 hitting percentage compared to 22 kills and a .140 attack mark for Boise State.
The opening set saw San Diego State leading 13-12 when it scored four straight points to take control of the contest. Boise State got back to within three at 17-14, but the Aztecs then rattled off eight of the next nine points to capture the set. SDSU got a balanced attack with four players finishing with three kills apiece including Pearson, Sexton, Harris and Shelton.
San Diego State came out for the second set looking to maintain the momentum, and they did so by running out to a quick 11-3 lead. Hannasch led the way with seven kills as the Aztecs hit .406 for the contest while holding the Broncos to a .042 attack percentage.
Set three saw the visitors come out with renewed energy, take the early lead and maintain their advantage until the very end of the contest. Trailing by as many as four points and never quite able to catch up, the Aztecs finally tied the game for the first time at 23-23. From there, a kill by Hannasch and service ace from Shelton gave SDSU the set and match victory. Steel's six kills along with Hannasch's four kept the Aztecs close until they were finally able to win at the end.
Up next for San Diego State is a short trip across Mission Valley to face 17th-ranked University of San Diego on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 7:00 p.m. at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion.