Fresno State Athletics
Volleyball Heads Off to Boise State and UTEP
10/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 11, 2004
FRESNO, Calif. -
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Fresno State Visits Boise State and UTEP
The Fresno State volleyball team continues Western Athletic Conference play but is on the road this week with trips to Boise State on Thur., Oct. 14 , 6:00 p.m. (PDT) and UTEP on Sat., Oct. 16, 12:00 p.m. (PDT). The Bulldogs are coming off a pair of four-game losses last week after dropping a road decision to CS Northridge and a home contest to Nevada.
Bulldogs Look to Get Back on Track
The Bulldogs will look to get back on track in conference play after losing a four-game decision at home to Nevada last week. The 'Dogs opened league action with cross-divisional road play at Rice (lost 3-0) and Tulsa (W 3-1). Fresno State came back home and was swept by then No. 6 Hawai'i (L 3-0) before recording a three-game victory over San Jose State (3-0). With both the Bulldogs and Nevada coming into last week tied for third place in the WAC's Western Division, Fresno State is now a game behind Boise State.
Growing Pains
After opening the year at 3-2, Fresno State is playing .500 ball with a 6-6 record in its last 12 matches. In preseason play, the Bulldogs were a tournament runner-up twice and finished third once. Of the six losses this fall, 14 of the 35 games played were lost by three points or less. Of the eight losses, five have come to teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament a year ago. While 2-3 on the road, the 'Dogs are 5-1 in sweeps, 3-6 in four-game decisions and 1-1 in five-game contests. The Bulldogs are showcasing as many as five first-year players on the floor at one time.
Passing My Way
After seven home contests, the Bulldogs are averaging 798 fans to date. Fresno State played before its second-largest crowd in the program's history on Sept. 30 when 2,458 fans came out on a Thursday to watch the Bulldogs take on then sixth-ranked Hawai'i. That attendance currently ranks as the 45th-best attended match for 2004. Fresno State has been the second-largest attendance draw in WAC volleyball, second to UH which is averaging 1,365 fans this season.
Head Coach Lindy Vivas
In her 14th season as head coach of the Bulldog volleyball program, Lindy Vivas (UCLA, 1980) collected her 250th school win against Western Illinois on Sept. 3. Recording the program's 200th overall league victory versus Nevada on Oct. 11, 2003, Vivas has been a three-time WAC Coach of the Year selection. Vivas has led Fresno State to eight of its nine 20-win seasons while advancing to postseason play six times. With three NCAA Tournament appearances, including two in the last six years, her 2002 squad established the school's best win percentage (.767, 23-7) while advancing to the WAC Tournament Semis for two of the last three seasons. Averaging 19 wins a year, Vivas owns a 14-year record of 257-162 (.613) at Fresno State and an 18-year career mark of 329-222 (.597). The Bulldogs, who are 117-54 (.684) at home under Vivas, have gone 34-8 (.810) in the North Gym the last four seasons. Vivas has coached two AVCA All-Americans, eight AVCA all-region/all-district winners, 28 all-WAC picks (31 overall) and the WAC's first preseason player of the year outside of Hawai'i. Leading the 'Dogs to all six WAC Volleyball Tournaments (1996-98, 2001-03), she directed the program to its best start (16-2) and third-most wins (23) in 2002 while her '03 squad posted a new single-season average attendance mark (1,031). Opening 2004 with a No. 43 showing, Vivas has directed the program to five of its six preseason listings.
Keeping Watch
Fresno State is 53-22 overall the last three years combined ... Fresno State is 34-9 in its last four years at home (North Gym & Save Mart Center) ... Fresno State is 17-3 in non-conference play in its last four years at home ...In the NCAA stats, Fresno State has appeared nationally in kills per game, assists per game, blocks per game and digs per game ... Ranked all five weeks nationally in digs per game, the Bulldogs currently rank No. 11 in digs per game (19.43) ... Fresno State has ranked as high as No. 3 in kills per game (18.07, Sept. 5), No. 3 in assists per game (16.43, Sept. 5), No. 6 in digs per game (21.93, Sept. 5) and No. 29 in blocks per game (2.92, Sept. 19) ... Junior setter Robyn Keune (Ventura, Calif.) made her fifth NCAA statistical appearance of her career when she appeared at No. 6 in assists per game (Sept. 5) ... Eighteen rally scoring school records have been set compared to a total of 12 set a year ago ... The Bulldogs have set 10 team marks and eight individual marks thus far this fall.
Week 6 in Review: Bulldogs Shut Out with Losses to CSUN and Nevada
For the first time on the year, the Bulldogs were shut out from collecting a victory after Fresno State went 0-2 with four-game losses to CS Northridge and Nevada ... The Bulldogs had five players in double-digit digs against CSUN despite the loss ... Enduring a two-match losing streak for the third time this fall, the 'Dogs have won six of their last 12 ... Freshman outside hitter Christianna Reneau (Corona, Calif.) shined brightly last week as she hit .259 while averaging 5.50 kills, 2.75 digs and 0.88 blocks per game ... Collecting a pair of 20-kill matches, Reneau pounded out 44 kills last weekend and had 23 against CS Northridge on the road before tallying 21 at home versus Nevada ... With four 20-kill performances in her last five outings, she posted a match-high 23 kills versus the Matadors and notched a team-best 21 against the Wolf Pack ... Sophomore outside hitter Tuli Peters (Laie, Hawaii) was next with 24 kills as she averaged 3.00 kills per game to go along with 25 digs (3.12 dpg) and six blocks (0.75 bpg) ... Peters leads the team in digs (245) and in blocks (56, 0.88 bpg) while third in kills (173) ... Offensively, she has totaled 11 10-plus kill matches, 13 10-plus dig matches and nine double-doubles ... Freshman outside hitter Mounia Nihipali (Honolulu, Hawai'i) has been very strong off the bench for the Bulldogs .. Nihipali led the 'Dogs defensively last week with 32 digs (4.00 dpg) while picking up 12 kills and three blocks ... Freshman setter Ilima Sam Fong (Hurricane, Utah) dished out 80 assists for a 10.00 assist per game average while collecting a season-high 13 digs versus CS Northridge ... Keune, who is averaging 11.12 assists per game, is 59 assists shy of becoming the eight Bulldog to dish out 2,000 career assists ... In the school's annals, Keune is No. 5 in assists per game (11.49) and No. 8 in assists (1,941) ... Since being converted to the middle, senior Amanda Magalei (Bountiful, Utah) is averaging 1.36 blocks per game in her last 13 matches (45 blocks in 33 games) ... Freshman libero Yuko Mori (Anan, Tokushima, Japan) recorded another pair of double-figure dig matches for the fourth straight week ... Sharing match-high honors of 18 versus CS Northridge, she is second on the team in digs (228, 3.56 dpg), she has totaled seven straight double-figure dig matches and has double-figure digs in 14 of her last 15 for an average of 14.07 digs per match and 3.64 digs per game (211 digs in 58 games).
Opponent Outlook
Boise State (14-5, 3-3 WAC):
Boise State is coming off a 0-2 WAC road trip after being swept by then No. 4 Hawai'i (30-20, 30-25, 30-26) before losing in five to San Jose State (20-30, 15-30, 30-27, 30-25, 12-15) ... Having opened the year at 5-0, the Broncos have gone 9-5 since ... With a 5-3 record in its last eight, BSU is hitting .203 while averaging 14.97 kills, 13.28 assists, 1.96 service aces, 14.30 digs and 2.68 blocks per game ... Boise State, which has five players with 100 or more kills to date, is being led offensively by sophomore middle blocker Cameron Flunder, who has totaled 279 kills (4.04 kpg) and is hitting .337 while ranking second on the team in blocks (62, 0.90 bpg) and service aces (26, 0.33 sapg) ... Freshman outside hitter Jamie Claussen is next with 200 kills (3.17 kpg) and also is second in digs (190, 3.02 dpg) ... In the all-time series, Fresno State is 10-0 against the Broncos ... The two programs last met at the 2003 WAC Volleyball Championships in Reno, Nev., and the 'Dogs recorded a sweep.
UTEP (6-9, 0-6 WAC):
UTEP also is coming off a 0-2 WAC road trip after being swept by San Jose State (30-20, 30-22, 30-21) and then No. 4 Hawai'i (30-18, 30-14, 30-21) ... Opening the year at 4-2, UTEP has gone 2-7 since ... With a current four-match losing streak, all via sweeps, the Miners are hitting .169 while averaging 14.26 kills, 12.77 assists, 1.81 service aces, 15.55 digs and 1.91 blocks per game ... UTEP is led offensively by junior outside hitter Kari Stacy, who has totaled 233 kills (4.40 kpg) and is hitting .167 with 23 service aces while ranking second in digs (134, 2.53 dpg) ... In the all-time series, Fresno State leads 16-1 against the Miners ... While the Bulldogs have won three of the last four, the two school last met in Fresno, Calif., a year ago with Fresno State taking a four-game decision.
Breaking Out
Reneau has taken command of the Bulldogs' offense and has had great success in the process. Already ranking in three top five Bulldog freshman records, she has tallied four 20-kill matches to date and is averaging 20.4 kills per match in her last five appearances. Reneau is the Bulldogs' top kill leader with 254 kills while sharing team-high honors in service aces (15, 0.25 sapg). Quietly, she has strung together 15 consecutive 10-plus kill matches and is averaging 16.87 kills per match in this stretch. Defensively, Reneau is third in digs (196, 3.32 dpg) while sixth in blocks (32, 0.54 bpg). Entering last week's action, she was just one of five WAC players to have recorded 10 or more double-doubles on the season.
Is Six the Common Denominator?
In the last two years if you were a freshman and your last name was six letters long the chance of cracking the Bulldogs' freshman recordbook has been excellent. Last season, Peters etched her name in six top five categories by a true Bulldog rookie. This year, Reneau is following the same path as she already is ranked among the 'Dogs top freshmen in three.
Moving On Up
Last season Keune, who was a walk-on her freshman year, averaged 12.65 assists per game and recorded 1,379 assists -- single-season marks that ranked second- and third-best, respectively. Nationally-ranked five times in assists per game in her career, her latest ranking was No. 6 (14.43) on Sept. 5. As the seventh Bulldog setter to post at least a 1,000-assist season, Keune currently ranks fourth in assists per game and eighth in career assists at Fresno State. She is 59 assists shy of becoming the eighth Bulldog to dish out 2,000 career assists.
2004 Quick Sets
- Fresno State is 5-3 in day matches and 4-5 in evening matches
- Fresno State is 7-0 when Peters leads/shares team-high honors in digs
- Fresno State has set/tied 18 rally scoring school records after establishing 12 in 2003
- Three Bulldogs have tallied a 20-kill match & Fresno State is 6-3 in those matches
- Fresno State is 53-22 overall the last three years combined
- Fresno State is 34-9 in its last four years at home
- Fresno State is 17-6 overall in WAC play in its last four years at home
- Fresno State is 17-3 in non-conference play in its last four years at home
- Fresno State has hit .300 or better twice and is 2-0
- Fresno State had held its opponent below .200 nine times & is 8-1 in those matches
- Fresno State has totaled 5,586 fans in seven dates for an average of 798
- Including preseason polls, Fresno State has received votes in the USA Today/CSTV Top 25 poll in 19 of the last 40 weeks dating back to 2002
Milestones Reached
The Bulldogs collected the program's 100th WAC victory versus Tulsa on Sept. 25 ... Fresno State posted the program's 500th win against San Diego State on Sept. 17 ... The 'Dogs handed Vivas her 250th school win against Western Illinois on Sept. 3 ... Fresno State has already set/tied 18 rally-scoring school records after establishing a total of 12 in 2003 ... With 2,458 fans drawn on Sept. 30, the Bulldogs drew their first 1,000 crowd of the season and 20th one-grand crowd overall, 19 of which have come under Vivas, since 1991.
Mileage Plus Plan
Opening the year by playing nine of its first 13 matches on the road, Fresno State's 26-match regular-season schedule features 15 road contests and 11 home matches. With the majority of travel happening last month, the Bulldogs will play six at home and six on the road in the final two months. Since 2000, Fresno State will have played 76 road matches to just 62 home dates. The 'Dogs have fared well the last three years by going 29-15 away from home.
Bulldogs Receive Preseason National Votes
For the second straight year, the Fresno State volleyball team received preseason national recognition after picking up votes in the USA Today/CSTV Top 25 Coaches Preseason Poll (Aug. 9). The Bulldogs received 12 votes for a No. 43 showing, up a spot from a year ago in the 2003 USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Coaches Preseason Poll. While the preseason nod marks the sixth time in the program's history that the `Dogs received preseason votes, it also makes it the fifth time under Vivas that Fresno State has received early acknowledgments.
Oh Boy, Guess Who's 40
The Fresno State volleyball program is in its 40th year as a varsity sport and has posted a 503-434-12 (.536) mark since records were kept in 1971 (6 years unknown, 1965-1970). Since 1965, the Bulldogs have had five coaches. Vivas is the program's all-time winningest coach as it was nine years ago that Vivas put the program back at the .500 level. In addition, the program has made more postseason appearances under her (6) than the entire Bulldog volleyball history combined (2) prior to her arrival in 1991. The 'Dogs also have enjoyed more NCAA Tournament appearances (3) and 20-win seasons (8) under Vivas as compared to one NCAA showing and two 20-win campaigns prior.
RichKern.com/AVCA Division I Regional Rankings
In the second release of the RichKern.com/AVCA Division I Regional Rankings, the Bulldogs appear 13th out of the 15 ranked teams. No. 3 Hawai'i sits atop the West Region while Long Beach State, No. 19 UC Santa Barbara, Rice and Pacific round out the top five. The rest of the top 10 has No. 18 Utah, No. 7 Colorado State, CS Northridge, UC Irvine and Idaho.
Home Success
The Bulldogs have enjoyed success in the North and South Gyms over the years and own an all-time home record of 183-122 (.600) since 1978; the Bulldogs are 139-86 (.617) since 1987 in the North Gym and 0-2 at the Save Mart Center. Fresno State is 117-54 (.684) overall and 34-9 (.791) at home under Vivas since 2002.
'Dogs Collect 20th One-Grand Crowd
The Fresno State volleyball team has gotten a bigger stage when it has hosted Hawai'i the last two years. On Thur., Sept. 30, the Bulldogs drew the program's second-largest crowd with 2,458 fans. On Sun., Nov. 9, 2003, the 'Dogs drew the largest crowd in Bulldog volleyball history with 4,708 fans. As the first true athletic competition in the Save Mart Center, Fresno State has drawn 7,166 fans for an average of 3,583 fans the last two seasons against Hawai'i. Last year's attendance of 4,708 finished No. 34 in the final 2003 attendance list. This year's total of 2,458 fans currently ranks No. 35 nationally. With more than 2,400 fans drawn on Sept. 30, the Bulldogs drew their first 1,000 crowd of the season and 20th one-grand crowd overall, 19 of which have come under Vivas, since 1991.
Around the Country
In the USA Today/CSTV Top 25 Coaches Poll released today there are just four undefeated teams that are ranked. Top-ranked Washington is 13-0 while No. 3 Hawai'i is 14-0. Eighth-ranked Ohio State is 16-0 and No. 9 Texas is 15-0. Despite losing All-Americans and five starters, Hawai'i is 4-0 this fall against teams ranked in the Top 25. UH has recorded wins over No. 17 Arizona, No. 17 Santa Clara, No. 3 UCLA and No. 14 California.
The New WAC
Next season, Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State will join the WAC. Both Idaho and New Mexico State advanced to the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Entering last week's play, NMSU was 12-2 and 4-0 in the Sun Belt Conference. Utah State was 3-9 and 0-5 in the Big West while Idaho was 8-5 with a 2-3 mark in the Big West.
Fresno State Picked Second in WAC Preseason Coaches Poll
Picked to finish second in the 2004 Western Athletic Conference preseason poll last month, Fresno State is coming off a 21-7 record and finished second to Hawai'i for the second consecutive year after posting a 10-3 league mark. Receiving the most first place votes in a preseason volleyball coaches poll since joining the WAC, Fresno State turned heads by tallying 66 points, including three first-place votes. The Bulldogs, who are a combined 44-14 over the past two seasons, placed second to eight-time WAC champion and 2002 and '03 NCAA Semifinalist Hawai'i for the third straight year in the coaches' preseason poll. The 2004 WAC Coaches Preseason Poll is the closest vote since UH edged San Jose State by nine votes in 2000. This year, the Rainbow Wahine recorded 74 points with five first-place votes while the 'Dogs were eight points back.
Individual 'Dogs Receive Preseason WAC Recognition
While Fresno State returns nine and welcomes five newcomers, the WAC released its 12-member preseason all-conference team and four Bulldogs were selected, including the WAC Preseason Player of the Year, to lead all WAC schools with four picks. Since 2001, the "Dogs have had 10 preseason selections and their first preseason player of the year pick.
Coming Through the Gates
While the WAC traditionally leads the nation in volleyball attendance for the last 10 years, Fresno State did its part last fall. Finishing No. 50 in average attendance (603) in 2002, the Bulldogs finished 30th in the nation with a 1,031 average in 2003. With 99,968 fans coming through gates since Vivas arrived in 1991, the 'Dogs enjoyed their second-best two-year average of 799 (19,186 fans in 24 dates) from 2002-03. In 1997-96, Fresno State averaged a two-year high of 884 (22,104 fans in 27 dates). The 11,344 fans drawn in 11 home dates for 2003 is the second-most in the program's history -- just behind the 1996 mark of 12,958 (13 home matches).
