Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Cal Poly (Cal Poly Tournament)
Volleyball Defeats Cal Poly in Four
9/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 11, 2004
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - The Fresno State volleyball team evened its record at the Cal Poly-Best Western Royal Oak Invitational with a four-game victory over the host Mustangs at Mott Gym this morning.
The Bulldogs notched a 28-30, 30-16, 30-22 and 30-17 win to improve their tournament mark to 1-1.
Four 'Dogs had double-doubles as Fresno State improved to 4-2 overall.
Freshman outside hitter Christianna Reneau led all players in kills (18) and digs (16) as she notched her fifth straight double-double. Sophomore outside hitter Tuli Peters also posted a double-double (12 kills, 11 digs) as did 2003 Honorable Mention All-America and senior outside hitter Kristen Fenton (11 kills, 13 digs).
Freshman setter Ilima Sam Fong quarterbacked the Bulldogs' offense and dished out 45 assists while picking up 12 digs and two blocks.
Cal Poly was led by Courtney Holman, who had 12 kills and 11 digs.
"It was going to be difficult to come back early this morning after a tough five-game match last night," head coach Lindy Vivas said. "I think the team did well for a 9:00 a.m. match. We had plenty of chances to win the first game, especially coming from behind and playing tough down the stretch.
"We found our rhythm right away in the second game and then took control of the match," Vivas continued. "Ilima Sam Fong started this match at setter and did very well. She did a nice job of making choices, distributing the sets and fixing plays. Outside hitter Christianna Reneau continues to get better every time she steps on the court. In the middle, Lauren Howell contributed more offensively this match and that has been something we've wanted to see.
"We had only one returnee on the court in the first game and I really thought we could pull that game out," Vivas stated. "We didn't but we entered the second game with a lot of momentum. In the final three games, the team became more comfortable with each other and that showed in their execution.
"It was nice to see four players in double-figure kills and five had 10 or more digs," Vivas added. "I thought we did a better job of playing defense and adjusting to broken and odd plays. In addition, we served tough in the final three games and that resulted in a good string of points to stop Cal Poly."
Game by Game Recap
Game 1 - Fresno State played from behind the entire game until it tied the game at 22. The Bulldogs, who trailed by as much as six, went on a 10-5 run to tie the game at 22 after calling a time out at 12-17. With ties at 22, 23, 24 and 25, Fresno State took the lead at 26-25 on a Peters/Amanda Magalei block. A Cal Poly hitting error gave the `Dogs a two point lead (27-25) but the Mustangs stormed back to tie the game at 27 and 28. A called net violation and a hitting error by the Bulldogs in the final two plays gave Cal Poly the 30-28 win. Hitting .180 in the game, the Bulldogs allowed five unanswered points by yielding five service errors. Cal Poly hit .256 and won the battle at the net by outblocking the `Dogs, 5-3. Reneau led Fresno State with five kills while Courtney Holman had six kills for the Mustangs.
Game 2 - Fresno State jetted out to leads of 8-3 and 17-6 to start game two. Having used both timeouts, Cal Poly got behind by as much as 12 points (20-8) before making a small charge. The Mustangs went on a 5-2 run to get within nine (22-13) before Fresno State called a timeout. The Bulldogs then closed out the game with a 7-3 run to seal the 30-16 win. Fresno State, which hit .237, held Cal Poly below .100 as the Mustangs hit .026. The Bulldogs serving game came around as they recorded five service aces. Reneau again led the `Dogs with five kills and hit .400 (5-1-10) while Peters added four and hit .800 (4-0-5). Both accounted heavily in the Bulldogs defense with five digs a piece. Holman, who was the top kill leader in game one for Mustangs, was limited to two kills.
Game 3 - With three ties in the first 14 combined points, Fresno State allowed Cal Poly to gain control when a Bulldog timeout was called at 7-9. With the game tied at seven, the Mustangs utilized an own kill and a Fresno State hitting error to take the lead. The Bulldogs went on to tie the game 11 and 12 before taking the lead at 13-12 on a Reneau kill. The `Dogs went on to build an 18-14 lead to cause Cal Poly to call a timeout. The Mustangs chipped away at Fresno State's lead and got within three at 22-19. The Bulldogs responded and made it a five point lead at 25-20 with a short 3-1 run before the Mustangs called their final timeout. Fresno State would then close out the game with a 5-1 run as Reneau served three of the `Dogs final five points. The Bulldogs served up another five aces while hitting .154 in game three. Reneau and Fenton paced the offense with five and four kills, respectively; Reneau also chipped in six digs. Kayla Mulder led Cal Poly with four kills.
Game 4 - With Sam Fong serving five straight points, Fresno State jumped out to an 8-1 lead, forcing Cal Poly to take its first timeout. Not letting up, the Bulldogs went on a 7-2 run for a 15-3 lead as the Mustangs took their second and final timeout. Fresno State maintained its dominance in the final set as it took as much as a 14 point lead, twice (20-6 and 24-10). The Bulldogs, who won the final point on a service error by Cal Poly, closed out with a 6-7 run for the 30-17 win. Howell and Fenton paced the Bulldogs offensively with six and five kills, respectively. Both also were the catalysts defensively with four blocks for Howell and six digs and three blocks for Fenton. Fresno State hit .303 in game four as Cal Poly hit .-.059.
Fresno State wraps up tournament play late this afternoon with a 4:30 p.m. match against Sacramento State.
