Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Nevada
Volleyball Upends #26 Nevada
10/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 12, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State came out aggressive and pulled its belt tight when the ball wasn't bouncing the right way. The result, a four-game upset over No. 26 Nevada (30-23, 26-30, 35-33, 30-21). And the Bulldogs kept their perfect home record in tact at 9-0 while snapping the Wolf Pack's nine-match win streak and handing Nevada its first conference loss.
The 'Dogs hit .344 in game one and .348 in game four while fighting tooth and nail for a victory in game three over Nevada, which ranks No. 6 in the West Region poll.
In the match, Fresno State won all the statistical battles by outhitting (.266-.172), outdigging (63-52) and outblocking (16.5-11.0) while tallying more kills (67-58).
Fresno State was led by three Bulldogs who notched double-figure kill performances. Senior middle blocker Shauna McQuaid pounded out a match- and career-high 25 kills while hitting .395 and adding a match-high seven total blocks. Junior outside hitter Christy Burnett hit an impressive .467 for the match after collecting 15 kills with one error in 30 attempts. Burnett also posted a match-high 16 digs and was the only Bulldog to notch a double-double. Sophomore outside hitter Kara Verwey added 14 kills, four service aces, seven digs and four blocks in the Western Athletic Conference victory. Fresno State had an outstanding performance from freshman setter Whitney Arena as well. Arena dished out 60 assists, had three blocks and collected 10 digs.
Nevada was led by Suzanne Stonebarger who collected a double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs while adding six blocks. Denise Sheldon had a team-best 15 kills while Navonna Chambers chipped in 11 kills.
The win tonight moved Fresno State into second place in the Western Division of the WAC race with a 6-1 mark, right behind Hawai'i (3-0). Nevada and San Jose State are tied for third at 5-1.
"It was a good win," head coach Lindy Vivas said. "We knew we had to have a super effort. Nevada is a strong team which has been playing well. They have five good hitters. One of our goals was to serve very tough and minimize their middle attack. I think our serving was effective. We played good defensively and defense won some of our games. I think Christy Burnett had one of her best all-around matches played since she's been here. She was key in passing and made great digs. I also think Shauna McQuaid gave the performance we knew she could. We had ball control and got the plays set up for Shauna to be effective. The match was back and forth for a good part of the time. I thought we should character in game three and I believe that game was the key for success in tonight's match."
Fresno State, which has won 11 of its last 12, will meet Nevada next week in Reno. The Bulldogs will play the Wolf Pack on Thursday, Oct. 18, 7:00 p.m. The match can be followed on www.gobulldogs.com via Live Updates.
