Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Rice<br>(WAC Tournament)
Volleyball Vaults Past Rice in WAC Championship Tournament
11/16/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 16, 2001
SAN JOSE, Calif. - It was the battle between the best two blocking teams in the Western Athletic Conference. It also was a chance for redemption for one and a chance to reach new heights for both.
No. 5 seed Fresno State avenged a regular-season loss to No. 4 seed Rice with a five-game quarterfinal round victory at the 2001 WAC Volleyball Championship Tournament held at The Event Center on the campus of San Jose State University.
To the winner went the spoils of meeting top seed and 11th-ranked Hawai'i in the semifinals, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 17, 5:00 p.m.
The Bulldogs lost game one 33-31 and game two 30-27. Trailing 2-0, the 'Dogs stormed back behind an offensive power that showcased a .300 hitting efficiency in each of the final three games. Fresno State put away the final three games by the scores of 30-17, 30-20 and 15-7.
Ending Rice's nine-match win streak and overcoming a team that ranked No. 16 in blocking nationally with a 3.03 block per game average, Fresno State answered with season-highs in kills (84), total attempts (216), assists (79) and digs (94) as four Bulldogs notched double-digit kill performances and five with double-figure dig performances.
Freshman setter Whitney Arena was outstanding directing the Bulldogs' offense. Dishing out a season-high 70 assists and collecting a personal-best 17 digs, the second team all-WAC performer controlled the tempo of the match while making game-saving plays.
"Whitney [Arena] was terrific," said head coach Lindy Vivas, whose Bulldogs move to the semifinals for the first time in the WAC Tournament. "Some statistics do not show up in the box score but when it comes to saving passes at the net and turning a set into a playable hit, those are the qualities that makes a player really stand out. I can't say enough about her. She shows such great poise."
Junior outside hitter Christy Burnett and sophomore outside hitter Kara Verwey each posted a double-double in the Bulldogs' win. Burnett had 19 kills and 13 digs to go along with four blocks. Verwey also chipped in 19 kills and had 13 digs.
Senior middle blocker Shauna McQuaid led all players with 20 kills and had seven total blocks. Freshman defensive specialist Tina Brennan had a season- and team-best 18 digs while freshman outside hitter Kristen Fenton chipped in 13 digs and had two blocks.
Rice, which finished WAC regular-season play as the Eastern Division champion, had three players with 10-plus kills and six with 10 or more digs. The WAC's Freshman of the Year and outside hitter Rebeca Pazo had a team-high 17 kills and added 12 digs and three blocks. Junior middle blocker Briana Cook totaled 15 kills and had five blocks. Senior outside hitter Leigh Leman was the other Owl to post a double-double with 15 kills and a match-high 21 digs.
"I really like our team," said Vivas, who directed the Bulldog volleyball program to its 450th win. "They like to compete. They like to win. They are willing to work hard. I enjoy walking into the gym every day and working with them.
"Tonight's match was simple," added Vivas, who has taken Fresno State to all four WAC Volleyball Championship Tournaments. "I told them at the break that this is it. You decide what you want.
"We served tough. We worked hard on blocking. We had to shuffle the line up a couple of times to get something that worked effectively. I thought Rice tired a bit but we also eliminated some unforced errors. We were able to slow down Leman and Pazo by concentrating on their left side. I thought we blocked Rice's right side pretty good.
"Now we face Hawai'i for the second time in as many weeks. We competed well against Hawai'i in Honolulu. UH has so many offensive weapons. We'll work hard to slow down their outside and put up tough blocks and serve effectively."
The win over Rice snapped a three-match win streak by the Owls as Fresno State improved to 5-3 in the all-time series history.
In the match, Fresno State hit .259 and won all the statistical battles. Winning 10 of its last 11 matches coming into tonight, Rice was held to a .174 hitting percentage. The Bulldogs, who were swept by Rice in Houston on Oct. 7, sought redemption this evening. That loss snapped Fresno State's nine-match win streak and Rice handed the 'Dogs their first conference loss. Since that loss, Fresno State went 4-6 before entering the tournament. However, that record is deceiving. Of the last 10 matches played before competing tonight, Fresno State played its hardest part of its conference schedule in the second half. Six losses came by the hands of three regionally-ranked teams that either received votes or were ranked in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 poll (two losses to Nevada, San Jose State and Hawai'i).
After a two-year hiatus, the WAC Volleyball Championship Tournament came back. Out of this season's 10-team league tournament championship, Fresno State is one of three that will play in all four conference championships. The Bulldogs, who join Hawai'i and San Jose State as four-time participants, are now 3-3 in WAC tournament play.
In 1996 and 1997, Fresno State reached the quarterfinal round. In 1998, the year the Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA's, the Bulldogs lost in the first round. Fresno State will advance to the semifinals for the first time in the four-year history of the WAC Volleyball Championship Tournament.
