Fresno State Athletics
Volleyball Competes In Final Regular Season Tournament
9/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 11, 2000
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Denver Invitational
Fresno State competes in its third and final tournament of the regular season this weekend when it travels to Denver, Colo. for the Denver Invitational. The Bulldogs, who opened the year with a tournament victory in Fairfax, Va. and finished third in their own invitational last weekend, will meet Denver, Butler and Marshall in the two-day four-team tournament field. Fresno State has played each team once in its series history and holds a 1-0 series advantage a piece over its opponents this weekend.
Bulldogs Close Out September at Home
After the Denver Invitational, Fresno State will close out the month of September at home with five straight matches. The Bulldogs, who are 2-2 in the North Gym this season and 80-38 at home under tenth-year head coach Lindy Vivas, will tangle with the University of San Diego (Sept. 21), No. 21 Santa Clara (Sept. 22), Southeast Missouri State (Sept. 23), No. 2 Hawai'i (Sept. 29) and Nevada (Sept. 30). Fresno State also opens Western Athletic Conference play in two weeks with three-time defending WAC champion Rainbow Wahines and the Wolfpack.
30 Years of Bulldog Volleyball
With Fresno State volleyball first hitting the courts in 1965 it wasn't until 1971 that the program officially became organized and competed on the collegiate level with the AIAW in 1972. Five different coaches (Gloria Zufall, Pat Thompson, Rae Predika, Leilani Overstreet and Vivas) have been at the helm of Bulldog volleyball. Fresno State owns an all-time record of 429-387-12 (.525) and has made three NCAA Tournament appearances (1984, 1991 and 1998). Having played in six different conferences and suiting up nearly 150 letterwinners in the Bulldog Red and Blue, Fresno State had its first National Coach of the Year in any sport in Overstreet. The 'Dogs have been nationally ranked in the polls for 31 weeks with their most recent appearance happening in September, 1998. The Fresno State volleyball program has produced an Olympic bronze medalist, six professional players, an All-American, five AVCA all-region, two conference freshmen of the year and 32 all-conference picks.
Head Coach Lindy Vivas
In her tenth season as head coach of the Bulldog volleyball program, Lindy Vivas (UCLA, 1980) picked up her 250th career win in the season opener against Siena. Now 17 wins shy of capturing her 200th win at Fresno State, Vivas has directed the 'Dogs to five postseason appearances in the last nine years. The two-time WAC Coach of the Year honoree has led the Bulldogs to two NCAA Tournament showings (1991-98) and three NIVC appearances (1995-94-92) since her arrival in 1991. Averaging 20 wins a year with an 80-38 (.684) home court record, Vivas has coached three all-region and 15 All-WAC picks. Vivas, who led the Bulldogs to three straight WAC Volleyball Tournaments (1996-98), owns a 14-year career record of 255-175 (.594) and a ten-year school record of 183-115 (.616).
Bulldogs Take Third Place In Own Invitational
The Bulldogs finished third in their own 14th Annual Fresno State Invitational last weekend with a 2-2 mark ... Fresno State had two all-tournament selections in junior middle blocker Shauna McQuaid (San Diego) and sophomore outside hitter Christy Burnett (Fallbrook) ... McQuaid was named to her second straight all-tournament team ... She led all Bulldogs in kills (57), kills per game (4.07) and was second in total blocks (14, 1.00 bpg) in four matches last weekend ... She had her streak of seven straight matches in double-figure kills snapped against Washington State (tourney finale) after collecting seven kills ... Recording at least two total blocks in every match, McQuaid had a match-high 13 kills and hit .435 (13-3-23) against UC Riverside to open tournament play ... She followed that with a match-high 18 kills versus Northern Iowa, which received votes in the most recent poll ... McQuaid then had a team-high 19 kills and hit .389 (19-5-36) and added four blocks against CS Fullerton ... Against Washington State she had the third highest number of kills (7) but had a match-high six total blocks ... Burnett had the second highest number of kills on the weekend for the Bulldogs with 42 (3.00 kpg) and led the team with 45 digs (3.21 dpg) ... She had 11 kills vs. UC Riverside and 13 kills vs. CS Fullerton in the two wins for the 'Dogs ... Burnett had a match-high 15 digs against UC Riverside and Northern Iowa and led the team with 14 against CS Fullerton ... It was Burnett's first all-tourney selection this year ... She had tallied five double-figure kill matches in her first eight after sitting out last year ... She also has posted double-figure digs in her first seven matches before having that streak snapped against WSU ... Sophomore middle blocker Lindsay Closs (Spokane, Wash.) had two matches in double-figure kills with 13 kills a piece vs. Northern Iowa and CS Fullerton ... Against Northern Iowa, she hit .435 (13-3-23) and tallied an ace, three digs and four total blocks... Against CS Fullerton, she hit .321 (13-4-28) with an assist, four digs, block solo & three block assists for four total blocks ... In the win against UC Riverside, she posted her second highest number of total blocks with seven ... With Fresno State opening the season at 5-0, the 2000 Bulldogs are the eighth squad to post at least five straight victories when opening a new season ... The best streak of consecutive wins to open a season is 12 by the 1998 'Dogs ... Those 12 wins are also a school record for consecutive regular season victories ... Vivas improved to 7-3 in home openers when the Bulldogs swept UC Riverside last weekend.
Denver (3-5)
After starting the year off with a 0-3 mark, Denver is coming off a 3-2 tournament record in its own Pioneer Classic. Denver picked up wins over Weber State (3-1), Missouri-Kansas City (3-0) and Drake (3-0) while taking a four game loss from San Francisco and being swept by No. 13 UC Santa Barbara. The Pioneers, who have won three of their last four matches, continues its 11-match homestand this weekend with its second straight invitational. The two-day four-team tournament field features Butler, Denver, Fresno State and Marshall. DU, which returns seven letterwinners and two starters from last year's 18-11 squad, is under the direction of head coach Beth Kuwata (Denver, 1988). Kuwata, former head coach at Wyoming, took the Pioneers to a third place finish in the Sun Belt Conference with a 13-3 worksheet. Denver is spearheaded offensively this season by senior outside hitter Sarah Kaye and junior middle blocker Kristin Savage. Savage leads the Pioneers with 107 kills (3.96 kpg) and is hitting .211 while fourth in digs (55, 2.04 dpg) and fifth in total blocks (16, 0.59 bpg). Kaye is right behind Savage with 101 kills (3.74 kpg) and is hitting .155. Kaye is the Pioneer's top dig leader (69, 2.56 dpg) and sixth in total blocks (14, 0.52 bpg). Averaging nearly three blocks a game (2.96), Denver already has four players with at least 20 total blocks in sophomore outside hitter Julie Crockett (20, 0.83 bpg), junior setter Clarice Golesh (23, 0.85 bpg), sophomore outside hitter Lulu Sewell (24, 0.89 bpg) and sophomore middle blocker Laurie Young (27, 1.59 bpg). Fresno State first played Denver in 1998 when the Bulldogs opened the year with a four-game win on the road at the University of Oregon Invitational on Sept. 4.
Butler (5-3)
Butler is coming off a second place finish at the Wichita State Tournament with a 3-1 tourney mark last weekend. The Bulldogs captured wins over Wichita State (3-1), Louisiana Tech (3-0) and Iowa State (3-1) and lost to eventual invitational champion Montana (3-2). Butler, which opened its season with a 2-2 record before traveling to Wichita, returns eight letterwinners and all six starters from a 15-15 squad that finished fifth in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference with a 5-7 mark. The Bulldogs are led by first-year head coach Sharon Clark, who served as head coach at NCAA Division II power UC Davis for the last six years. Clark was named a two-time conference coach of the year at UC Davis and was selected as the 1996 AVCA Southwest Coach of the Year. Top Bulldogs returning for Butler includes senior outside hitter Lynze Lysen and senior setter Kylie Galbraith. A second team all-MCC pick last season, Lysen was voted to the Butler Invitational all-tournament team two weeks ago. In 1999, she averaged a team-best 3.51 kills per game. Galbraith was the league's top setter in conference play and averaged a career-high 12.13 assists per game last season. A starter since her freshman year, junior outside hitter Allison Cox averaged 2.93 kills per game and led the Bulldogs in digs per game (3.95 dpg). Junior middle blocker Andrea King earned MCC all-tournament honors last year after leading the squad in blocks with a 1.08 blocks per game average. Sophomore middle blocker Keely Norris captured MCC all-Newcomer Team accolades after posting a team-high .224 hitting percentage. Named to the Butler Invitational all-tournament team in the first weekend of the season, she also finished second in blocks per game (0.93 bpg) for the Bulldogs. Fresno State last met Butler in 1995 when the 'Dogs swept the Bulldogs on Sept. 2 at the Oregon State Invitational.
Marshall (2-6)
Marshall, which began its season at 0-5, has won two of its last three matches. The Thundering Herd went 2-1 in their adidas-Stone Lodge Invitational and finished second in tourney action last weekend. Marshall tallied a five game win over Wright State and a three-game sweep over UNC-Wilmington before dropping a three-game match to Wake Forest. Marshall returns seven letters, including five starters, from last year's 15-15 team that finished eighth in the Mid-American Conference with a 9-9 mark. The Thundering Herd is led by fourth-year head coach Steffi Legall who played for the German Junior National Team and the German Women's National Team. She has led Marshall to three MAC Tournament appearances. MU is led this season by senior outside hitter Wendy Williams with 113 kills (3.65 kpg) and 114 digs (3.69 dpg). Williams, who has led the Herd in digs the last two years and set a single-season school record of 520 digs in 1998, is tied for second in total blocks (15, 0.79). Fresno State last played Marshall in its own invitational on Sept. 12, 1998 and the Bulldogs won in five en route to the tournament title.
2000 Bulldog Volleyball Capsules
So., OH, Christy Burnett
Has 5 double-figure kill matches ... first 20-kill match vs Central Michigan ... opened year with 7 straight double-figure dig matches, including season-high 16 vs Siena, & has seven 10+ dig matches in last eight ... career-best three aces vs George Mason ... has at least two blocks in four matches ... leads team in digs (93) & third in kills (92)... Fresno State Invitational all-tourney.
So., MB, Lindsay Closs
Has 5 double-figure kill matches in last 8... has at least one block in every match ... hitting team-high .324 ... also leads team in block solos (9) & second in total blocks (33) and block assists (24) ... posted career-best nine blocks vs George Mason, including career-high four block solos and five block assists ... has season-high 14 kills vs Central Michigan & Maryland-Baltimore County ... had first career triple-double vs. Nevada (13k-11d-10tb) in 1999 ... in career, has at least one block in 23 of 24 matches played ... has 12 double-figure kill and two double-figure dig matches ... all-tourney at Brion's Grille/Patriot Invite (2000) & USF/Golden Gate Classic (1999).
Fr., S, Chelsey Duley
Has season-best 61 assists, 7 kills, 11 digs & 5 total blocks vs CS Fullerton ... has at least one block in six of 8 matches played (seen significant time in 7 matches), including season-high 5 vs CSUF ... averaging 9.35 assists per game ... in career, has one double-figure dig match.
Sr., OH, Malia Malu
Has notched double-figure digs in 4 matches, including a season-best 11 versus four teams ... has season-high 5 total blocks vs three different teams ... dating back to last season, she has 10+ kills in six of last 17 matches, including four double-doubles & one 20/20 ... had career-high 21 kills vs Sacramento State & set career-high 25 digs vs San Francisco in 1999 ... also had first career 20/20 match against Sac State as a junior ... received the team's Best Defensive award in 1999 ... in career, ranks No. 10 in career assists (444) ... has 10+ digs in 34 matches & 10+ kills in nine with seven double-doubles.
Jr., MB, Shauna McQuaid
Opened the year with 7 consecutive double-figure kill matches ... has 7 double-figure kill matches in last 8 ... season-best 20 kills (second career 20-kill match) vs George Mason ... has season-best 7 blocks vs George Mason, including career-high seven block assists ... has at least 2 total blocks in all 8 matches ... leads team in kills (121) & second in blocks (35) ... in career, has at least one total block in 34 of 38 matches ... MVP at 1999 USF/Golden Gate Classic ... 2000 Brion's Grille/Patriot and Fresno State Invitational all-tourney ... has 10+ kills in 13 matches with one 20+ kill match.
So., S, Brittney Pearson
Has season-high 40 assists vs Central Michigan & George Mason ...has season-best 6 kills & career-high 3 aces vs Siena ... picked up season-high 10 digs vs Central Michigan ... has at least one block in 2 matches ... averaging 6.40 assists per game ... in career, has one double-figure dig match.
Jr., OH, Kristin Pierpont
Has missed first 8 matches ... collected first career double-double vs UTEP (10 k, 10 d) & second vs. Rice (11 k, 17 d) last year ... season-best five total blocks vs Nevada ... career-best 17 digs vs San Diego State & Rice ... career-high 14 kills vs Rice ... had five matches in double-figure kills as a sophomore ... in career, has 10+ kills in five matches & 10+ digs in nine.
Sr., DS, Leilua Satele
Fourth on the team in digs (51) ... has season-high 10 digs vs Northern Iowa ... posted 10+ digs in nine matches, including season-best 18 vs Rice in 1999 ... also led team in aces (31) & was fourth in digs (218) ... tied career-best three aces vs UTEP, St. Mary's & Rice ... one of two Bulldogs to play in all 98 games ... Fresno State Invitational all-tourney ... garnered three team postseason awards in Academic Excellence, Most Improved and the Sally Adley Coaches Award ... 1999 second team All-WAC ... in career, has 10+ digs in 11 matches.
Fr., OH, Stefanie Taelman
Has season-high 9 kills & 12 digs vs CS Fullerton ... picked up at least one dig in every match ... has posted at least one ace in three of last six matches ... in career, has one double-figure dig match.
Fr., OH, Taneisha Tilque
A reserve who collected her first collegiate kill vs Maryland-Baltimore County ... has season-best two kills vs UMBC & CS Fullerton ... has season-high 3 digs vs Northern Iowa.
Fr., OH, Kara Verwey
Has 4 double-figure kill matches ... has season-high 18 kills & 11 digs vs George Mason ... has 3 double-doubles on the year ... has season-high five total blocks vs George Mason ... has at least one block in 6 of 8 matches ... fourth on the team in total kills (85) & third in digs (65) ... Brion's Grille/Patriot Invitational all-tournament.
