Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Long Beach State (USD Invite)
Volleyball Pushes No.19 Long Beach State, Fall In Five
9/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
SAN DIEGO--The Fresno State volleyball team nearly pulled off an upset against No. 19 Long Beach State at the University of San Diego Invitational but blocking proved to be the difference as the 49ers came away with a five-game victory (30-23, 24-30, 30-24, 24-30 and 15-11).
Hitting and digging were similar but LBSU's block took away Fresno State's ability to run a middle attack as the 49ers outlasted the Bulldogs to improve to 5-1 on the season.
Fresno State's Kristen Fenton collected her first career 30-kill match as she led all players with 31. The junior outside hitter, who has registered 20 or more kills for the eighth straight match, also recorded a double-double by adding 14 digs to go along with two blocks.
Sophomore setter Robyn Keune, who is running the Bulldogs' offense for the first time this season, responded with 47 assists and had a match- and career-best 21 digs.
Breaking into the starting line up as a freshman, outside hitter Tuli Peters notched a double-double as she totaled 19 kills and 10 digs.
Long Beach State was led by Liz Hudson, a transfer from San Jose State University. The senior outside hitter had a team-high 19 kills and picked up 14 digs. Erika Chidester (15 kills, 14 digs, 7 blocks) and Mariko Crum (10 kills) helped out the 49ers offense.
As a team, LBSU hit .146 and had 82 digs and 15 total team blocks. Fresno State hit .100 and had 87 digs with eight total team blocks. The Bulldogs had five players record double-figure digs while Long Beach State had four players with 10 or more digs.
"Kristen is an incredible hitter," Fresno State head volleyball coach Lindy Vivas said. "She was double teamed by their biggest blockers all day and still was very, very effective. When we develop our middle attack to a higher level, this will make Kristen an even more dangerous attacker.
"I thought that Robyn (Keune) had an excellent match for us. It was her best defensive game as a setter. She's been working extremely hard to be a better defensive player. As she plays more and more and gets that experience she will improve and be better.
"Tuli has done a great job for us. She plays older than a freshman. She has helped us offensively. The one thing I know about Tuli is that no matter what happens in a game she is always mentally focused and has a good instinct for the flow of the game. She's been a nice addition to our starting line up.
"Overall, we came out ready to play and fought very hard; it didn't matter if we were up or down. I was especially pleased when we were down 11-18 in the fourth and then outscored them 19-6 to win the game. We also had to come back in the fifth (down by four) just to keep it close. With the exception of a couple of errors on our side down the stretch, we had the opportunity to take the match. We'll look to get those type of things corrected in the next couple of weeks."
In game one, Long Beach State dominated as the 49ers hit .268 (17-6-41) and held the Bulldogs at a negative percentage (-.049, 9-11-41). After the game was tied at 11-11, Long Beach State never looked back and built a lead as high as nine (16-13). Fresno State would get within two at 20-22 and 21-23 but the 49ers closed out the game by going on a 7-2 run. Fenton was limited to three kills while Melanie Fleig had six kills and hit .556 (6-1-9).
Fresno State regrouped and played the come-back-kid in game two. After the game was tied at 3-3, LBSU maintained a lead up until the `Dogs tied the game at 12-12. Fresno State took the lead at 13-12 on a Fenton kill and stayed ahead up until the 49ers tied the game at 21. Fresno State then utilized a 9-3 run to close out the game. Fenton had eight kills for the Bulldogs as Long Beach State hit .022 collectively.
In game three, the 49ers rode the arm of Hudson, who was perfect from the floor as she hit .800 (8-0-10). Fresno State started out strong as it took a 6-3 lead but LBSU tied the game at eight. The Bulldogs charged back to tie the game at 12 but Long Beach State went on a 7-1 run to make the score 19-13. Fresno State got back into the game and was within two (19-21) before LBSU closed out the game with an 11-3 run. Fenton, who had 18 kills after three games played, had seven kills for Fresno State while Peters added five.
Starting out strong before mounting another comeback, the Bulldogs pushed Long Beach State as the 49ers hit .064 in game four. Fresno State and LBSU were tied at 7-7 before the 49ers went up 18-11. Scrapping for every dig, the `Dogs erased the seven point lead and outscored the 49ers 19-6 down the stretch to capture the win and force a fifth game. Fenton led the way with eight kills and Peters added five.
In game five, Long Beach State took a 4-2 lead before Fresno State tied the game at 9-9 and 10-10. The final five points scored by the 49ers saw three unforced errors by the Bulldogs as they won 15-11. Fenton had five kills and Peters had two to pace Fresno State.
Fresno State (6-3) closes out tournament play at the University of San Diego Invitational this evening with a 5:00 p.m. match against Maryland-Eastern Shore (7-4).
