Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Furman<br>(William & Mary Tournament)
Volleyball Sweeps Furman in Season Opener
8/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 30, 2002
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Playing at the second-oldest university in the country, Fresno State opened its 2002 season with a 3-0 victory (30-20, 30-23, 30-20) over Furman at the William & Mary Hi-IQ Classic in Williamsburg, Va.
Meeting Furman for the first time in school history, the Bulldogs improved their record to 21-10-1 in season openers overall and 7-5 under 12th-year head coach Lindy Vivas.
Fresno State posted an all-around solid performance after having five players collect at least eight kills while hitting .269 (47-18-108) as a team with nine service aces and four blocks in the season opener.
Individually, senior middle blocker Java Johnson, junior middle blocker Carrie Hartt, sophomore outside hitter Kristen Fenton each had nine kills while senior outside hitter Christy Burnett and junior outside hitter Taneisha Tilque chipped in eight.
With 997 assists her rookie season, sophomore setter Whitney Arena had 38 assists against Furman to become the ninth Bulldog to dish out 1,000 or more career assists (1,035).
Burnett led all players in digs with 16 (tied school's rally scoring three-game record) while five Bulldogs tallied at least a block, led by Johnson's two.
In game one, Fresno State jumped out to an 11-2 lead and never relinquished as it posted a 30-20 victory. Hitting a hot .406 was Hartt. Making her debut as a starter in the middle she was perfect from the court after hitting. 833 (5-0-6) with a dig. Burnett had five digs and a block assist while sophomore setter Whitney Arena had 14 assists and an ace.
In game two, the Bulldogs took a 17-11 lead before Furman closed within five at 19-14. Fresno State responded with a 6-2 spurt for a 25-16 lead before Furman called its first time out. The Paladins challenged the Bulldogs towards the end when they got within six (28-22) but the 'Dogs sealed the win with kills by Fenton and Tilque for a 30-23 victory. Burnett was on fire after hitting .714 (5-0-7) with six digs. Arena dished out 11 assists while Burnett and Hartt combined for all five aces.
The third game featured 12 ties and Fresno State had the lead seven times before taking control of the game at 16-15. The Bulldogs then went on a 14-5 run and posted a 30-20 win. Fresno State was sparked by Johnson's .571 performance (4-0-7) and a block. Defensively, Burnett tallied five digs while Arena had 13 assists.
"Everybody contributed and our serving was effective," head coach Lindy Vivas said. "Whitney (Arena) played a nice match. She set a solid game for our hitters and created numerous advantageous hitting situations for them. She was a great communicator on the court.
"Christy (Burnett) had a nice, solid all-around game. She came out ready to play and contributed in all area. Her jump serve was working and Christy forced a lot of errors on her serve.
"In the middle Java (Johnson) did well and she should help us out more and more as the season progresses."
Fresno State continues tournament play this evening when it meets East Carolina at 5:00 p.m. (EDT).
