Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Sacramento State (Cal Poly Tournament)
Volleyball Falls in Four to Sacramento State
9/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 11, 2004
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - The Fresno State volleyball team dropped its final match of the Cal Poly-Best Western Royal Oak Invitational when the Bulldogs fell in four to Sacramento State at the Mott Gym.
Finishing third overall in the tournament, the 'Dogs had their worst offensive showing but their best blocking performance on the young season.
Despite outblocking Sacramento State (22-13), Fresno State hit .071 as a team. Fresno State was led by senior Honorable Mention All-America outside hitter Kristen Fenton, who had a match-high 17 kills while sharing match-high honors in digs (26).
Freshman outside hitter Christianna Reneau added 15 kills and 13 digs while freshman setter Ilima Sam Fong had 44 assists, an ace, six digs and three blocks.
At the net, junior middle blocker Lauren Howell had a match-high 13 blocks and seven kills while senior outside hitter/middle blocker Amanda Magalei had eight blocks to go along with four kills.
Sophomore outside hitter Tuli Peters added 24 digs and three blocks while freshman libero Yuko Mori chipped in 13 digs.
Sacramento State (7-2) won but didn't fare any better in hitting as the Hornets had a .129 hitting efficiency. Digging was their strong suit as the Hornets won the floor battle (105-91). They were led by Sandra Bandimere, who had 16 kills and 26 digs. Emily Wilson posted 13 kills while Atlee Hubbbard tallied 10 kills and 18 digs.
"Neither team played well offensively," head coach Lindy Vivas said. "Sacramento State was just a bit more solid in its passing and execution. Balls that we are used to seeing go down didn't because of their (Sacramento State's) defensive style. While we played well at times we ran into a program that is solidly consistent and has a lot more experience.
W"ith the newcomers doing so well, I think our upperclassmen will need to step up and add a little bit more stability and toughness to close out a match," Vivas continued. "We need to stay aggressive on every play and learn that no game is over until the last point is scored.
"I started Ilima at setter for the second straight match," Vivas continued. "She has stepped in and has been able to run the offense very well. Ilima is an intense competitor and adds a lot of energy to the court. I thought Amanda (Magalei) and Lauren (Howell) had a nice blocking match. Amanda did a nice job as a starting middle after practicing at that position just prior to leaving for this tournament. With another couple weeks of practice she should be more comfortable in the middle. Lauren tipped balls and kept our offense going. They did what we asked and performed admirably.
"After being on the road the first two weeks of the season, we're looking forward to play at home next week," Vivas added. "We have a good team and I think they will come around and get to the point that is needed to succeed"
Game by Game Recap
Game 1 - Fresno State led the game off with a block by Fenton and Howell and kept its momentum as Sacramento State called a timeout at 11-7. The Bulldogs, who built as much as a five point lead at 17-12, saw the Hornets sting back with a 13-7 run to take a 20-18 lead. Fresno State relinquished its lead at 18-15 when it made four errors and the Hornets tacked on a kill for a 20-18 lead, resulting in a Bulldog timeout. Sacramento State took control of the game and kept a three point cushion between itself and Fresno State until a Magalei kill tied the game at 25. Trading points up until 29, the Bulldogs had game point at 29-28 but consecutive hitting errors by Fresno State gave the Hornets the advantage at 30-29. A kill by Reneau tied the game at 30 before Sacramento State got a break when the shoe came off of Peters, who was in place to dig a ball, but slipped and fell. The Hornets took a 31-30 lead and won the game 32-30 when a hard hit ball down the line by Reneau was ruled out. The game was not an offensive gem for either side as Fresno State hit .000 and Sacramento State mustered a .017 hitting percentage. The Bulldogs outblocked the Hornets (10-3) as Fenton led the way for the `Dogs with five kills. Cal Poly was led offensively by Emily Wilson's four kills.
Game 2 - Fresno State maintained the lead throughout game two up until 15-14. A kill by the Hornets allowed Sacramento State to tie it at 15. The Bulldogs took the lead back at 16-15 on a Reneau kill. Up 19-17, Sacramento State came back to tie it at 19 before the `Dogs tied it at 20. Fresno State went up 21-20 on a called lift by the Hornets and did not relinquish the lead as Sacramento State called the first timeout of the game, trailing at 24-21. The Bulldogs closed out the game with a 6-3 run as a Magalei block solo closed out the game for Fresno State in the 30-24 win. Offensively, Fresno State fared better as it hit .163 while Sacramento State hit .102. Reneau and Fenton each had five kills for the Bulldogs while Sandra Bandimere led Sacramento State with four.
Game 3 - Fresno State got shutout quickly and early as Sacramento State jetted out to a 7-0 lead. The Hornets had three kills and a block as they also forced the Bulldogs to commit two hitting errors, a blocking error and a setting error for the early lead. Sacramento State would continue to roll as it built as much as 12 point lead (23-11). The Hornets kept dominating the game and pushed their lead to 14 points (29-15) before winning the final point on a Bulldog service error for a 30-16 win. Fresno State was lost offensively after hitting .021 while the Hornets hit at a .357 clip. Bandimere led Sacramento State with five kills while Fenton had three for the Bulldogs. Sacramento State also was outstanding defensively, picking up 28 digs to the `Dogs' 17.
Game 4 - Howell and Fenton started game four off with a block as Fresno State used that stuff to propel the Bulldogs to a 6-3 lead. With Sacramento State calling a timeout at 6-3, Fresno State broke a 3-3 tie with another block, a Reneau kill and a Peters' service ace for the three point advantage. Fresno State kept at least a two point cushion between itself and Sacramento State before the Hornets called their final timeout, trailing 16-12, Sacramento State answered with a 7-4 run to get within one (20-19) before Fresno State called its first timeout of the game. Fresno State had to call its second timeout at 27-26 when the Hornets got within one after collecting seven points to the `Dogs seven. Sacramento State would continue to inch forward in its lead as it tied the game at 27. Fresno State answered back to tie the game at 28 but Sacramento State took it right back after the `Dogs were called into the net for a 29-28 lead. Another block by Howell tied the game at 29 before the Hornets snuck up right up and collected back-to-back kills for the 31-29 victory.
Fresno State (4-3) makes its first home appearance next week when it hosts its own invitational, Thur.-Sat., Sept. 16-18. The Bulldogs open their home schedule with San Francisco at 7:00 p.m., on Sept. 16
