Nov. 5, 2014
Complete Release and Season Statistics
AZTECS VISIT AIR FORCE AND NEW MEXICO THIS WEEK
San Diego State will be on the road this week for a pair of Mountain West Conference contests. The Aztecs will visit Air Force on Thursday, Nov. 6, for a 6:00 p.m. match on AFA's Falcon Court in East Gym. Two days later SDSU will be in Albuquerque, N.M., square off against New Mexico on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 1:00 p.m. in the Johnson Center. Both the Air Force and New Mexico matches will have live video streaming on the Internet with links at www.goaztecs.com and www.themw.com.
SERIES RECORDS
***San Diego State holds a 34-2 mark in its previous 36 meetings with Air Force including wins in each of the past eight meetings over the past four-plus seasons. The teams first met in 1996 while both were members of the Western Athletic Conference. Air Force's wins over SDSU came in Colorado Springs in 1999 and 2010. The Aztecs are 19-0 vs. the Falcons in San Diego, 14-2 in Colorado Springs and 1-0 at neutral sites.
***The Aztecs' all-time record vs. New Mexico stands at 34-19 since the teams first met during the 1991 season. SDSU has won seven of the last nine contests against the Lobos dating back to the 2010 campaign including a five-set decision on Aztec Court earlier this season. The series began in 1976 and the schools have met annually since 1990 when both were members of the Western Athletic Conference. SDSU has an 18-8 mark against the Lobos in San Diego, 11-11 in Albuquerque and 5-0 on neutral courts.
HEAD COACH Deitre Collins-Parker
San Diego State head coach Deitre Collins-Parker is in her sixth season with the Aztecs after being named the fourth head coach in program history prior to the 2009 campaign. Her record at SDSU is 98-74 (.570). She previously served as head coach at UNLV for eight seasons (1996-2003) and at Cornell for five years (2004-2008). Her 18-year career record stands at 260-265 (.495). A three-time All-American as a player at the University of Hawai'i, she led the Rainbow Wahine to consecutive national titles (1983-84) and was named the national player of the year twice. She was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team and competed at the Goodwill Games and Pan Am Games prior to playing professionally in Europe for four years. She is one of six players named to the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball 25th Anniversary Team in October 2005 and was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in the fall of 2008. During the summer of 2014 she led a Mountain West all-star team on a tour of Europe that concluded with a bronze medal third-place finish at the 2014 European Global Challenge in Pula, Croatia.
CAGE CONSISTENT
Redshirt freshman Alexis Cage recorded a career-high 19 kills and 19.5 points in the win over Wyoming on Nov. 1. It was the most kills in a match by an SDSU player this season. Over the last three matches she has averaged 3.38 kills per set. She has led the Aztecs (or tied for the lead) in kills in six of the last seven matches. Cage has hit double figures in kills in four of the last five contests. Cage made her season debut in the third set vs. Fresno State on Sept. 27 after having missed the Aztecs first 10 matches of the season with a foot injury.
AIKEN GETTING OFFENSIVE
Junior outside hitter Halle Aiken has averaged 3.13 kills over the past four matches recording double figures in that category in each contest. She recorded a career-high 17 kills in the win at Fresno State on Oct. 23. She also hit a personal season-best .486 with no attack errors. Her 19.0 points in that contest were her SDSU best.
ECKENRODE EMERGING
Freshman setter Courtney Eckenrode set her career high with four kills in the win over Wyoming last Saturday (Nov. 1). She added 13 digs in that contest to record her sixth double-double of the year. The double-double was her third in four matches. She matched her career high with 51 assists in the four-set-set win at Fresno State on Oct. 23. She set career highs with 51 assists, 17 digs and two service aces in the win over New Mexico on Oct. 9.
O'HARA AT THE NET
Redshirt freshman Cassie O'Hara has averaged 1.00 block per set over SDSU's past four matches. During that same span she is hitting at a .512 clip. O'Hara recorded career highs of eight kills and five block assists in the win over UC Irvine on Oct. 27. She also turned in a .800 hitting percentage in that match with no attack errors.
STEEL'S HOT HAND
Senior right side hitter Chaiymin Steel averaged 2.70 kills and 1.70 digs per set in SDSU last two matches. Her 15 kills, 14 digs and 17.5 points in the match vs. Wyoming (Nov. 1) tied her career highs. The double-double vs. Wyoming was the second of the season (and career). She also matched her season best of five blocks in that contest.
BOLDEN IN THE BACK
Defensive specialist Dani Bolden had a career-high five service aces in the win over Wyoming last weekend (Nov. 1). Her 5.0 points in the contest was also her personal best She had a streak of having recorded a kill from the back row in five consecutive matches end vs. Wyoming on Nov. 1. Bolden turned in a career-best 14 digs in the contest vs. No. 7 Colorado State on Oct. 30.
SABA AT LIBERO
Redshirt freshman Alexa Saba has averaged 4.05 digs per set over SDSU's last 11 matches. She recorded 20 digs vs. Wyoming on Nov. 1, one shy of her career best. She set her career high with 21 digs in the match against New Mexico on Oct. 9. She tied has tied her career high of four assists in a match in each of SDSU's last three outings.
PRITCHARD SHOWS VERSATILITY
Freshman defensive specialist Devyn Pritchard's 12 digs in the win over Wyoming on Nov. 1 was her highest output since recording 13 vs. Villanova on Sept. 6. Her 3.0 points in the contest vs. the Cowgirls also matched her season high. In the match vs. Air Force on Oct. 11 she finished with three assists and three service aces, both personal bests.