Fresno State Athletics
Volleyball Opens WAC Play by Hosting Rice and Tulsa
9/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 22, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. -
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Volleyball Opens Western Athletic Conference Play
After wrapping up its longest road swing of the season that entailed three straight weeks on the road and 10 matches played, the Fresno State volleyball team comes home for a quick jaunt to open Western Athletic Conference play this week. The Bulldogs open their 12th season in WAC action and bring a 99-75 (.570) mark into 2003. Fresno State, which is 5-6 in WAC openers and 3-2 in WAC home openers, host Rice on Thur., Sept. 25, 7:00 p.m. and Tulsa on Sat., Sept. 27, 4:00 p.m. The Fresno State vs. Rice match will be broadcast live on Comcast (cable, ch. 14), The Big Dawg - ESPN 1430 AM and on the school's official athletic website at www.gobulldogs.com.
Home Success
The Bulldogs have enjoyed success in the North and South Gyms over the years and own an all-time home record of 172-118 (.593) since 1978; the Bulldogs are 128-84 (.604) since 1987 in the North Gym. The 'Dogs went 10-2 at home in 2001 and shattered the school record for consecutive wins (9). Last season the 'Dogs went 11-2 at home, tied the school record for most home victories (11), had the first back-to-back 10-win home campaigns in school history, tied its own record for consecutive wins (9) and tied the school record for consecutive conference home wins (6). Fresno State is 106-50 (.679) overall and 23-5 (.821) at home, dating back to last season, under 13th-year head coach Lindy Vivas. In WAC home openers, the Bulldogs are 3-2 while they are 4-2 overall in conference home openers since her arrival in 1991. Fresno State opens league play against Rice for the first time. However, on Oct. 15, 1999, the Bulldogs and Rice met in the North Gym for the 'Dogs first home WAC match (FS won 3-1).
Home Promotions
Sept. 25 vs. Rice (7:00 p.m.)
Youth Night
Youth (13-under) receive general admission ticket for $2 & get a Bulldog bookmark
Sept. 27 vs. Tulsa (4:00 p.m.)
Bargain Night/Player's Clinic
Display Fresno State football ticket vs. Portland State at Bulldog volleyball match and get $2 off for adult general admission & $1 off for youth/senior general admission ALSO a Player's Clinic for children13-under (2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.) @ South Gym. Open to boys and girls, clinic is $5 and includes instruction, pizza and admission to the 4:00 p.m. Fresno State-Tulsa match.
The Series
In the all-time series against Rice and Tulsa, Fresno State leads Rice (6-3) and Tulsa (7-1). The Bulldogs first battled Rice in Houston on Oct. 11, 1997 (FS won 3-0) and Tulsa in Tulsa, Okla., on Oct. 9, 1997 (FS won 3-1).
Head Coach Lindy Vivas
In her 13th season as head coach of the Bulldog volleyball program, Lindy Vivas (UCLA, 1980) collected her 300th career win in the season opener against New Mexico on Aug. 29. Looking for her 100th Western Athletic Conference win this week, Vivas garnered WAC Coach of the Year honors last fall. Vivas has led the Bulldog volleyball program to seven 20-win seasons while advancing to postseason play six times. With three NCAA Tournament appearances, including two in the last five years, her 2002 squad established the school's best win percentage (.767, 23-7) while advancing to the WAC Tournament Semis for the second straight season. Averaging 19 wins a year, Vivas owns a 13-year record of 237-150 (.612) at Fresno State and a 17-year career mark of 309-210 (.595). The Bulldogs, who are 106-50 (.680) at home, have gone 23-5 in the North Gym the past three seasons. Vivas has coached eight AVCA all-region/all-district winners and 24 all-WAC picks (27 overall). Leading the 'Dogs to all five WAC Volleyball Tournaments (1996-98, 2001-02), she directed the program to its best start (16-2) and third-most wins (23) in 2002. Opening the 2003 season at No. 44, Vivas has directed the program to four of its five preseason listings.
Week 4 in Review: 'Dogs Capture La Quinta Inn/NAU Invite
Having opened the year by playing in four tournaments, Fresno State recorded its third tournament title when it went 3-0 at the inaugural La Quinta Inn/Northern Arizona Invitational ... Fresno State had three players named to the all-tournament team in junior outside hitter Kristen Fenton (Marysville, Mich.), who was named MVP, senior middle blocker Carrie Hartt (Manteca, Calif.) and junior middle blocker Tiffany Bishop (St. Anne, Ill.) ... The Bulldogs recorded a four-game victory over New Mexico State, defeated Northern Arizona in five and swept Liberty in tourney action ... The 'Dogs picked up their third sweep of the year against the Lady Flames ... Fresno State handed NAU its fifth loss at home since 1995 against non-conference opponents; Northern Arizona came into its match versus the Bulldogs with a 33-4 (.892) non-conference home court record ... As a team, Fresno State set season highs in kills (75 vs. Northern Arizona) and tied its season-best mark in blocking, twice (14 vs. Northern Arizona and Liberty) ... At 10-3, Fresno State has won 10 of its first 13 matches for the eighth time in school history - seven of which has come under head coach Lindy Vivas (1976, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2002) ... In the years that Fresno State won 10 of its first 13 matches, six Bulldog teams went on to post 20-win campaigns (1991, '95, '96, '97, '98 and 2002) ... Of those six, four went on to postseason play (1991, '98 and 2002 at NCAA's; 1995 at National Invitational Volleyball Championship) ... Against West Region opponents, the Bulldogs are 3-1 as they own wins over Cal Poly, UC Riverside and Northern Arizona and a loss to No. 19 Long Beach State.
All-American in the Making?
Fresno State has had only one All-American in school history and that individual is current assistant coach Ruth Lawanson. Named to the 2002 AVCA All-West Region team, Fenton is putting up exceptional numbers to open the year. Already tallying nearly 300 kills and averaging 5.06 kills per game, she appeared in the first two weeks of the NCAA Division I statistics in kills per game to rank (Sept. 14: No. 23, 5.30; Sept. 7: No. 26, 5.18). Currently one of four players in the WAC averaging better than 5.00 kills per game, Fenton has been named to four straight all-tournament teams this fall, including two MVP honors. As the Bulldogs' top kill leader in 12 of 13 matches and hitting .300 or higher every week, she has had 20 or more kills in nine matches, including her first career 30-kill match with 31 against then No. 19 Long Beach State; she became the first Bulldog in four years to tally a 30-kill performance.
Fenton Named WAC Player of the Week
Named WAC Player of the Week today, Fenton was selected to her fourth straight all-tournament team (sixth of career) and was named MVP for the second time on the season at the inaugural La Quinta Inn/Northern Arizona Invitational. Leading the tournament in hitting (.371), kills (51) and kills per game (4.25), Fenton also finished second in digs (40, 3.33 dpg) as she collected three double-figure kill performances, including one 20+ kill match, and had two double-doubles. With nine 20-kill matches on the year, Fenton opened the tournament with a double-double against New Mexico State. She tallied a match-high 21 kills, a team-high 15 digs and had three blocks while hitting a match-high .372 (21-5-43). Having led the Bulldogs in kills in 12 of 13 matches this fall, Fenton notched her second straight double-double as she posted 16 kills, a block and a match- and season-high 18 digs versus tournament host Northern Arizona. In the tourney finale, Fenton collected a match-high 14 kills and was perfect from the floor with a match-high .667 (14-0-21) hitting percentage while totaling seven digs and two blocks. Hitting better than .300 for the fourth straight week, has had 13 double-figure kill matches, nine double-figure dig, nine 20+ kill matches, one 30+ kill match and nine double-doubles on the season. This is Fenton's second career WAC Player of the Week award.
Eyeing 1,000 Career Kills/Single-Season Kill Mark
Fenton eclipsed the 800-career kill plateau last weekend and is 180 kills shy of being just the ninth Bulldog to amass 1,000+ career kills and she could become the second-fastest Bulldog to reach 1,000. With 820 career kills, Fenton is averaging 3.50 kills per game (234 games/65 matches) - a mark that currently ranks No. 6 all-time at Fresno State. While currently hitting at a career-mark of .288 (No. 6 all-time), Fenton has a .358 hitting percentage on the season and is one of eight players in school history to hit at least .300 in a season (last year she finished at .301 to rank No. 6). In addition, Fenton is challenging the school's all-time single-season kill record, which is held by Paola Paz-Soldan (630, 1991). With a streak of 29 consecutive double-figure kill matches dating back to last season (524 kills in 112 games for a 4.68 kill per game average), Fenton is averaging 20.23 kills per match and 5.06 kills per game this fall. Paz-Soldan averaged 5.6 kills per game in 112 games (34 matches) played in 1991.
Other Bulldog Top Performances
Hartt was named to her third career all-tournament team ... With 19 blocks on the weekend, she moved into the school's career charts in blocking as she ranks No. 9 all-time in block assists (186) by surpassing Java Johnson (182, 2001-02) and Andrea Radmilovich (180, 1989-92) ... In addition, she is now tied for No. 9 all-time in career total blocks (235) as she shares the spot with Malia Malu (1997-2000) and surpassed Johnson (230) ... With 49 career block solos, Hartt is six shy of sharing the No. 10 slot with Kara McKeown (55, 1997-98) ... With 235 career total blocks tallied in 213 games played, Hartt currently ranks No. 5 in blocks per game at Fresno State (1.10 bpg) ... Hitting .300 in the tournament and averaging 1.08 blocks per game, Bishop was named to her first all-tournament team as a Bulldog ... She tallied her first double-double as a Bulldog after picking up a match- and season-high 18 kills and 10 digs while hitting .500 (18-4-28) against Northern Arizona ... Sophomore setter Robyn Keune (Ventura, Calif.) dished out a season-best 64 assists against New Mexico State ... Recording 61 assists versus Northern Arizona the following match, Keune also tallied a season-high four block assists and total block against the Lumberjacks ... Freshman outside hitter Tuli Peters (Laie, Hawaii) had a good match at the net against New Mexico State as she recorded a season-high two block solos, five block assists and seven total blocks ... Senior outside hitter Stefanie Taelman (Gavere, Belgium) also had a good blocking match when she recorded a season-high four block assists and four total blocks against Liberty ... Junior outside hitter Amanda Magalei (Bountiful, Utah) had season-highs in kills (6), attempts (16) and hitting (.250, 6-2-16) while tying her career-high marks in block solos (1) and total blocks (2) against Liberty ... Sophomore setter Brianne Stockwell (Clovis, Calif.) picked up her first Bulldog kill when she tallied two against Liberty; she also picked up 16 assists, an ace and two digs versus the Lady Flames.
In the NCAA Statistics
In the second release of the NCAA Division I volleyball statistics (Sept. 14), Fenton was listed in kills per game for the second straight week as she appeared at No. 23 (212, 5.30). In the first release of the national statistics (Sept. 7), the Bulldogs ranked No. 22 in assists per game (15.14) and tied for No. 24 in W/L (6-1, .857). Fenton appeared at No. 26 in kills per game (145, 5.18 kpg) while Keune was tied for No. 22 in assists per game (366, 13.07 apg).
WAC Opponents
Rice (8-5, 0-0 WAC)
is coming off 2-0 weekend at home after picking up a pair of sweeps against Houston (30-26, 30-27, 30-20) and Mississippi (30-20, 30-28, 30-27). The Owls, who are 6-0 at home, are 2-5 on the road with a 2-2 away mark and a 0-3 neutral record. On a hot streak of its own, Rice has won seven of its last 10 matches after opening the year at 1-2. The Owls are hitting at a hot clip as well as they boast a team hitting percentage of .277 while averaging 15.72 kills per game, 15.09 digs per game and a WAC-best 2.61 blocks per game. Leading the way are a pair of junior outside hitters in Rebeca Pazo and Lindsey Carter. A preseason all-WAC pick who was a first team all-league honoree as a sophomore after being the WAC's Freshman of the Year in 2001, Pazo has totaled 253 kills and is hitting .340 while averaging 6.02 kills per game. Also tallying 107 digs (2.55 dpg) and 22 blocks (0.52 bpg), she is currently second in the WAC stats in kills per game while eighth in hitting; she, along with Hawai'i's Kim Willoughby, are the only two players in the league with a kill average of 6.0 or better per game. Carter, who split time at libero and outside hitter last fall, has totaled 142 kills (3.55 kpg) and is hitting .247. Senior setter Rebeka Neal leads the team in digs (168, 3.65 dpg) while sophomore setter/outside hitter Kristina Hoban is directing the offense with 607 assists and a 13.20 assist per game average. In the all-time series, Fresno State swept Rice at home last year. The Bulldogs have won two of the last three meetings and four of the last seven.
Tulsa (9-4, 0-0 WAC)
is coming off a 2-1 record at the Tulane Tournament in New Orleans as the Golden Hurricane finished in a two-way tie for second with Louisiana Tech. Tulsa sandwiched a three-game loss to Tulane (30-23, 37-35, 30-22) in between sweeps over UMKC (Missouri-Kansas City: 30-19, 30-22, 32-30) and Centenary (30-19, 30-21, 30-17). Also on a hot streak, Tulsa has won nine of its last 11 matches after opening the year at 0-2. As a team, the Golden Hurricane is hitting .249 while averaging the second-highest mark in the WAC in kills per game (16.28) and a league-best 2.35 service aces per game (101 in 43 games). Spearheading the offensive attack for Tulsa is a trio of 100-kill leaders in junior outside hitter Kristin Bailey, freshman outside hitter Brie Penaluna and junior middle blocker Lindsay Eaves. Bailey, who has totaled 143 kills (3.86 kpg), and Penaluna, who has tallied 122 kills (3.39 kpg) and garnered all-tourney honors last weekend, are both hitting .255. Eaves has notched 118 kills (2.74 kpg) and leads the team in blocks (34, 0.79 bpg). In the WAC statistics, Eaves ranks fourth in service aces (22, 0.51) and ninth in hitting (.333) while Bailey is seventh in kills per game. Junior setter Vanessa Thon (386 assists (12.45 apg) and sophomore setter/libero Evyn Bandy (156 assists, 3.71 apg) are directing the Tulsa offense. Tulsa will travel to Nevada on Thursday to open WAC play before coming to Fresno State on Saturday. In the all-time series, Fresno State swept Tulsa on the road last year. The Bulldogs are 2-1 in the last three meetings and have won seven of eight overall.
The Schedule
Opening the year by playing 10 of its first 13 matches on the road, Fresno State will end up playing 16 road matches to 11 home during the regular season. In the first three months of the season, the Bulldogs will have played 15 road matches while appearing in the North Gym just seven times. Fresno State closes out its 2003 regular season schedule by playing at home in four of its final five contests. Compared to 2002, the Bulldogs' schedule featured 17 road games to 13 at home. In the last two years combined, not counting postseason play for 2003, the Bulldogs will have played nine more road contests (33-24). Since 2000, Fresno State will have played 60 road games, to just 51 home games. Being a road warrior proved favorable for the 'Dogs in 2002 as they went 12-5 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
2003 Bulldog Volleyball Returners Capsules
Jr., L/DS, Tina Brennan
Has nine double-figure dig matches, including a season-high 24 vs. UC Riverside ... leads the team in digs with 163 (3.13 dpg) ... set school's rally scoring record for digs in 4 games (27 vs. #7 UCSB) and in 5 games (26 vs. CS Northridge) in 2002 ... in career, has 34 ten-plus dig matches & 5 20+ dig matches.
So., OH, La'akea Campbell
Hit a career-best .333 (4-1-9) vs. Idaho State ... set first career 10+ dig match (11) vs. Idaho State ... recorded season-high 3 block assists and total blocks vs. Md.-Eastern Shore ... in career, has one 10+ dig match.
Jr., OH, Kristen Fenton
Dating back to last season, has a streak of 29 10+ kill matches & has totaled 524 kills in 112 games (4.68 kpg) for an average of 18.07 kills per match ... 4x all-tournament pick & 2 MVP honors ... has 13 double-figure kill matches, 9 double-figure dig, 9 double-doubles & 9 20+ kill matches on year ... leads team in kills (263), kills per game (5.06), hitting (.358) while third in blocks (34, 0.65) and digs (143, 2.75 dpg) ... in career, has totaled 44 10+ kill matches, 36 10+ dig matches, 29 double-doubles, 12 20+ kill, one 30+ kill & one 20+ dig match ... 2003 WAC Player of the Week (Sept. 22) ... 2002 AVCA All-West Region ... 2002 first team all-WAC ... 2002 all-WAC tournament ... 2002 WAC Player of the Week (Nov. 11) ... 2003 preseason all-WAC.
Sr., MB, Carrie Hartt
Dating back to last season, has totaled 147 blocks in last 31 matches for a 4.74 block per match average in 113 games played (1.30 bpg) ... has 9 double-figure kill matches on year ... in career, has 26 10+ kill matches, 3 10+ block, 1 20+ kill & 3 double-doubles ... 2002 first team all-WAC ... 2002 all-WAC tournament ... 2003 preseason all-WAC.
So., S, Robyn Keune
Set a career-high 64 assists vs. New Mexico State ... has 6 double-doubles on year ... posted first career block solo against Cal Poly ... set career-high 21 digs vs. #19 Long Beach State ... has season- and career-high 6 kills vs. 4 teams this year ... named all-tournament at Sacramento State Invitational ... in career, has 7 double-doubles (assists and digs), 9 10+ dig & 1 20+ dig match.
Jr., OH, Amanda Magalei
Has season-high 6 kills, 3 digs, 2 blocks and hit .250 against Liberty ... had first career block vs. Cal Poly ... set a career-best two block solos vs. New Mexico.
So., L/DS, Briana Rempel
Collegiate debut vs. Nicholls State & had first career kill, dig and block vs. NSU ... appeared in 2 matches in 2002.
Sr., OH, Stefanie Taelman
Recorded a career-high 13 digs vs. Cal Poly & #19 Long Beach State ... picked up second career double-double against Cal Poly ... tied career-best with 15 kills vs. Oregon State ... has 2 double-figure kill, 6 10+ dig & 2 double-doubles ... in career, has 5 double-figure kill, 9 10+ dig & 3 double-doubles.
So., MB, Andrea Thrower
Has season-high 9 kills vs. Md.-Eastern Shore ... set career-best four digs & four blocks vs. Idaho State ... has season- & career-high 5 block assists & 6 total blocks vs. Md.-Eastern Shore ... in career, has 1 10+ kill match.
