SDSU Volleyball Team Travels To Tempe For ASU Sheraton Classic
Aztecs to face Utah State, Arizona State and Seattle this weekend
AZTECS VISIT TEMPE FOR ASU SHERATON CLASSIC
San Diego State will travel to Tempe, Ariz., this week to participate in the ASU Sheraton Classic hosted by Arizona State. The Aztecs will get tournament play underway with a match against Utah State on Friday, Sept. 3, at the Wells Fargo Arena. SDSU will face the host Sun Devils that evening at 7:00 p.m. San Diego State will conclude tourney action Saturday morning (Sept. 4) when it takes on Seattle at 10:00 a.m.
GOOD START
San Diego State went 3-0 last weekend as it hosted the Aztec Invitational with wins over Cal State Northridge, Northern Colorado and Cincinnati. Both Northern Colorado and Cincinnati were NCAA Tournament teams last season with the latter having six starters back from a squad that finished second in the Big East as well. The 3-0 start is the Aztecs’ best start to a season since the 2001 campaign when it opened with five straight victories. That year was the last time that SDSU won its own tournament to start the season.
AZTECS IN THE AVCA POLL
For the first time since it joined the Mountain West Conference (in 1999), San Diego State is receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll. SDSU’s 24 points in this week’s poll rank 31st among teams receiving votes. Representing the MWC, Colorado State is ranked 15th while Utah and New Mexico are also listed among teams receiving votes.
MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Paije Pearson was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week for her efforts during the season’s opening weekend Aztec Invitational, She began tourney play with a 14-kill, six dig effort in the win over CSU Northridge. The 14 kills tied her SDSU career high at the time. In the Aztecs’ sweep of Northern Colorado, she collected six kills, three digs and one block, then followed with career highs in kills (15) and digs (18) in the tournament’s championship match vs. Cincinnati. Pearson also tallied three blocks and hit for a .467 efficiency in the 3-0 victory over the Bearcats.
NEW SETTER DEBUTS
Freshman Johnna Fouch has stepped into the role of setter and has made the transition from high school to Division I with little trouble. The three-time all-CIF first-team selection at Redlands East Valley HS in Redlands, Calif., averaged 13.00 assists per set in her first weekend of collegiate play. She also had 2.10 digs and recorded three block assists over the weekend. She recorded a double-double in her first collegiate match with 40 assists and 12 digs against Cal State Northridge. Fouch’s assist average leads the MWC after the opening weekend of the season and she is one of only two conference setters to be in double figures in that category.
SHELTON SHINES
Outside hitter Raegan Shelton (Randall HS, Amarillo, Texas), hit .404 during the Aztec Invitational while averaging 3.57 kills. Her weekend included a personal-best 14 kills in the win over Cincinnati. Shelton also contributed a total of four blocks in SDSU three matches. She committed only four errors in the seven sets in which she appeared.
SOLID SOPHOMORE
Middle blocker Andrea Hannasch picked up where she left off a year ago by averaging 1.50 blocks per set over SDSU’s opening three matches. In addition she had 2.38 kills and 1.25 digs per set. Her block average ranks third in the MWC stats this week.
TEAM AMONG MWC LEADERS
After the first weekend of the 2010 season, San Diego State is the Mountain West Conference team leader in kills (16.00 per set), assists (14.60 per set) and hitting percentage (.311). The Aztecs’ hitting percentage is over 50 points high that the league’s second-best mark (Wyoming at .258). SDSU is also second in digs (14.40 per set) and ranks fourth in both block (2.55 per set) and service aces (1.60 per set).
AZTECS IN THE MWC STATS
Raegan Shelton’s .404 hitting percentage ranks first in the conference while her kill average of 3.57 is seventh-best. She is also fourth in points at 4.50 per set. Johnna Fouch leads the league’s setters at 13.00 assists per set with the MWC’s second-best individual average sitting at 10.30. Kyley Sexton is third in the conference in kill average (3.90) and second in points (4.50 per set). Paije Pearson ranks fourth in kills (3.78 per set), fourth in points (4.22 per set), eighth in hitting percentage (.300) and tenth in digs (3.00 per set). Lauren Salisbury’s .314 hitting percentage ranks ninth while Kelsey Manasco and Kristi Jackels are tied for ninth in service aces at 0.40 per set).
AZTEC NOTES
In the four sets in which she played last weekend, freshman outside hitter Summer Nash averaged 3.50 kills, 1.00 blocks and hit .522 … Freshman defensive specialist Kyla Oropeza saw action in each set of the matches against Northern Colorado and Cincinnati and recorded seven assists in each of those two contests … With six block assists last weekend, Lauren Salisbury now has 306 as an Aztec. She needs 18 more to move into a tie for the No. 10 spot on the SDSU career list (Rene Pankopf had 324 block assists from 1983-86) … Kyley Sexton recorded a double-double in the win over Cincinnati with 14 kills and 14 digs.
