Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
San Jose St
Volleyball Comes Away Empty Handed
11/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 3, 2001
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Fresno State was in a battle. San Jose State was in a battle. And to the winner went the spoils of a No. 3 seed in the Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship Tournament to be held later this month in San Jose.
The Bulldogs and the Spartans, who combined for 90 points alone in game four, tested each other's will for more than two hours.
Fresno State, which lost a five-game gut wrenching decision to San Jose State last week at home, came away empty handed again as the 'Dogs dropped a 25-30, 26-30, 30-17 and 44-46 contest on the road to SJSU.
The loss probably means the Bulldogs will enter the WAC tournament as the No. 4 seed while an eventual match-up against Hawai'i will loom in the quarterfinal round.
The Bulldogs, who won every statistical category except one, doubled the Spartans in blocks (14-7) and found themselves with a .241 hitting percentage, SJSU hit .243.
With an overall record of 13-8 and 7-5 in the WAC, Fresno State had three players record double-doubles in the loss.
The Bulldogs were led by junior outside hitter Christy Burnett, who posted her second career 20/20 with a personal-best and team-high 28 kills to go along with 20 digs and two blocks.
Sophomore outside hitter Kara Verwey added 19 kills and had 11 digs while senior middle blocker Shauna McQuaid tallied 10 kills and 12 digs to go along with six blocks.
Kim Noble's 31 kills led San Jose State while Brianna Blair had 22 kills and 10 digs.
"This was a tough loss because we were playing for the right to be the No. 3 seed for the WAC tournament," head coach Lindy Vivas said. "We had opportunities to take the match to five games after we got our act together in game three with momentum going into game four. Both teams played well, especially the fourth game. If we could have gone five, we probably would have gone to 30 points.
"Christy [Burnett] has come around and is an outstanding all-around player," Vivas continued. "Whitney [Arena] set her best match tonight and there was not one ball that was not hittable. It was very evident that these two players came ready to play from the get go. They had exceptional performances. It was nice to see Kara [Verwey] get her hitting game back. When she reaches high and hits hard, she is one of the strongest and one of the most solid offensive players in the league.
"We showed that we can play with a team like San Jose State," Vivas added. "We just couldn't get over the hump and get some critical points that sometimes comes with the roll of the ball."
Fresno State will wrap up its regular-season schedule on the road next week with a visit to No. 9 Hawai'i on Friday, Nov. 9. Fans can listen to the match live on the internet courtesy of Hawai'i at http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu.
Tickets for the 2001 WAC Volleyball Championship Tournament, Nov. 15-18, can be purchased through San Jose State's ticket office or by calling (408) 924-SJTX. All 10 teams qualify for the tournament. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children and students for an all-session pass (nine matches).
