Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
*Rice
Volleyball Defeats Rice in WAC Opener
9/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 25, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State volleyball team opened Western Athletic Conference play as if the tournament championship had started right off the bat. With both teams battling each other neck and neck offensively and defensively, the Bulldogs balanced attack won out as Fresno State notched a four-game victory in the conference opener over Rice.
In the 29-31, 30-22, 30-25 and 30-24 victory, Fresno State had three players post at least 20 kills as Kristen Fenton (24), Carrie Hartt (21) and Tiffany Bishop (20) led the way. Defensively, Tina Brennan collected a match-high 27 digs and tied her career-best mark along the way.
In what was billed as an outside hitter showdown between Fenton and Rebeca Pazo of Rice, the fans were not disappointed as Pazo tallied a match-high 27 kills and hit .323 to Fenton's 24 kills and .295 hitting effiency. Pazo, who is ranked fifth in the nation in kills per game (6.02) coming into the night, had totaled 10 kills in game one alone for the Owls. Fenton, who is ranked No. 26 in kills per game (5.06), recorded her 10th 20-kill match of the year and 13th of her career.
The match also featured the top two blocking teams in the WAC as Rice (2.61) and Fresno State (2.60) came into tonight nearly even.
With the Bulldogs winning the blocking battle at the net by one (8-7), it was the digging effort by Fresno State that kept the rallies going for the 'Dogs as they outdug the Owls by 12 (84-72).
The Bulldogs, who had 20 or more kills in each of the four games, also had four players post double-digit marks in digs in Brennan, Stefanie Taelman (15), Tuli Peters (11) and Robyn Keune (11).
As the only Bulldog to tally a double-double, Keune led the offensive attack by dishing out a match- and career-high 68 assists while notching her seventh double-double of the year.
As a team Fresno State collected season-high marks in kills (82) and assists (74) as head coach Lindy Vivas recorded her 100th WAC win and improved to 6-6 in WAC openers and 4-2 in WAC home openers.
Rice opened game one strong as the Owls hit .327 to Fresno State's .250. The Bulldogs, who made a late 10-0 run to tie the game at 29-29, lost the battle in blocking (4-1) as it proved to be the difference as Fresno State had 20 kills and Rice had 21 while digs were even at 23.
In game two, Fresno State held Rice below a .200 hitting effiency. The Bulldogs turned the tables as they had a better kill selection while winning in digs (14-11) and blocks (3-1). Pazo, who had 10 kills in game one, was limited to five kills in game two. Fenton, who was held to four kills in game one, bounced back with seven kills while Bishop sparked the middle after hitting .455 (6-1-11).
In game three, Pazo hit .400 (7-1-15) but Fresno State neutralized the Rice offense by Hartt hitting .583 (7-0-12) with a perfect performance on the floor. With the 'Dogs hitting .320 and Rice hitting .293, the Bulldogs serving game became a factor as they picked up seven aces through the first three games while Brennan totaled eight digs to keep the Bulldogs' defense strong.
Fresno State dominated game four statistically. Hitting .340 collectively, they staved off a Rice push that saw outstanding digging by both teams. Fenton was perfect from the flour in the final stanza as she hit .615 (8-0-13) while Brennan and Peters each had seven digs.
"This is a huge win because Rice is a good team," head coach Lindy Vivas said. "I think they will make a very strong case for themselves as the season goes on. Pazo is an important part of their (Rice) offense and she's going to get her kills. Our plan was to just keep switching blockers on her and not give her the same look.
"As far as our team effort, we made too many errors in game one and we needed to clean things up a bit. The turning point of the match was our middles (Bishop and Hartt), who are working hard on angles and making good adjustments.
"Tina (Brennan) passed the ball really well and saw the court well. Tiffany (Bishop) is becoming more aggressive in hitting and blocking. Kristen (Fenton) is just amazing to watch as her consistency and her ability to hit at different points keeps the opponent off balance."
Fresno State (11-3, 1-0 WAC) hosts Tulsa on Saturday in a 4:00 p.m. match. Tulsa (9-5, 0-1) was swept (30-27, 30-17, 30-27) by host Nevada this evening to open conference play.
Fans who come to the matinee match and present their football ticket versus Portland State for that evening's 7:00 p.m. game will get an early bargain. Fans will receive $2 off for adult general admission while youth/senior will get $1 off for general admission to the Fresno State-Tulsa volleyball match.
For those who come to the 4:00 p.m. match may need to enter off Chestnut and Barstow if arriving after 3:00 p.m. With Cedar and Barstow being shut down at 3:00 p.m. for football tailgating, fans will need to take the alternate route to attend the match.
