Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Boise State
Volleyball Defeats Boise State to Conclude Regular-Season
11/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 13, 2004
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State volleyball team wrapped up the regular-season in style after posting a four-game Western Athletic Conference home victory (30-26, 27-30, 31-29, 30-16) over Boise State at the North Gym.
It was senior night tonight for two Bulldogs and both middle blockers made sure their final home appearance would be remembered. Tiffany Bishop finished the night with a match-high 18 kills, had five blocks and hit .350 (18-4-40) to lead Fresno State. Amanda Magalei was perfect from the floor and hit .462 (6-0-13) and also had five blocks to share team-high bocking honors with Bishop.
Fresno State, which had four 'Dogs post double-doubles, saw three of its outside hitters collect 10-plus kills and digs against the Broncos. Freshman outside hitter Christianna Reneau (17 kills, 14 digs, 3 blocks), sophomore outside hitter Tuli Peters (13 kills, 14 digs, 4 blocks), freshman outside hitter Mounia Nihipali (11 kills, 20 digs, 1 block) and junior setter Robyn Keune (53 assists, 11 digs) spearheaded the Bulldogs.
For Reneau, it marked the 24th consecutive match in which she has notched 10 or more kills on the court. As the team's top kill leader in 11 of the last 16 outings, she is two kills shy of being just the second Bulldog freshman to tally a 400-kill season as well as the 16th 'Dog overall to post a 400-kill year.
Keune notched her fifth 50-plus assist match of the year while recording her fifth double-double as well. With 2,225 career assists, she is 85 assists shy of taking over the No. 4 spot all-time in school history.
Tying her season-high mark in kills as well as recording her first 20 point match this fall, Bishop stands just one block solo shy of cracking the school's career Top 10 list. Picking up three tonight, she has totaled 57 block solos in two years as a Bulldog as she ranks No. 4 all-time in career block average (1.15) at Fresno State.
While Nihipali and freshman libero Yuko Mori shared match-high honors in digs with 20 tonight, Nihipali collected her second 20-dig match and third double-double of the year while Mori notched her third 20-dig performance.
Boise State (17-11, 6-7 WAC) had four players in double-figure kills and digs. The Broncos were led by Cameron Flunder, who had 15 kills, nine digs and five blocks.
In the overall stats, Fresno State led in virtually every offensive and defensive category except one as the Broncos won the blocking battle by half a block (11-10.5).
"We are a much better team than the first time we played Boise State," Fresno State volleyball head coach Lindy Vivas said. "We have gotten better every match, becoming more stable while facing adversity. It takes time with such a young team but they continue to push and make themselves better.
"It was nice to win the final two home matches," Vivas added. "I thought Tiffany (Bishop) and Amanda (Magalei) played well, especially Mandy. She had one of her best games this year. Things are starting to click for this team."
Game-by-Game Recap
Game 1 -- Both teams were slow getting out of the gate as Boise State hit .153 and Fresno State hit .145. Bishop, Reneau and Nihipali each had five kills to pace the 'Dogs attack. Defensively, Nihipali had nine digs and Mori had seven. Jamie Claussen had nine of her 12 total kills recorded in the first set for BSU.
Game 2 -- With both teams hitting better than .200, the Broncos were more efficient as this game saw eight ties and six lead changes. Bishop and Reneau tallied four kills each while Nihipali led defensively with seven digs. Telia Peterson picked up six of her 11 total kills in the second set to lead the Broncos. After two full games played, Nihipali and Mori were already in double-figures for digs with 16 and 10, respectively.
Game 3 -- Fresno State started out of the gate quick and maintained a large lead until the Broncos surged back in the late part of the game. While the Bulldogs were stopped at game point three times, Fresno State held on for the victory. Bishop had six kills and Peters added five to pace the 'Dogs. Keune was the team's top digger with six. Flunder collected six kills for BSU.
Game 4 -- The Bulldogs controlled the final set from the first serve. With three 'Dogs hitting at least .500 from the floor, Reneau led the way with five kills while Mori posted seven digs. While 10 Broncos got into the final game, Kim Fenneman had four kills to lead Boise State.
Wrapping up the season by winning five of its last seven, the victory secured Fresno State's position as the No. 5 seed for next week's WAC Volleyball Championship Tournament in Reno, Nev. On Fri., Nov. 19, the Bulldogs will meet Boise State in the first round as the Broncos go into the tournament as the No. 4 seed.
Fresno State (14-12, 6-7 WAC) is one of just three teams in the WAC to have qualified for all seven WAC Volleyball Championships as the Bulldogs seek their first WAC title.
