Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Utah (USC/LMU Tournament)
Bulldogs Finish Los Angeles Trip With Loss
9/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 3, 2006
Los Angeles - Playing their fourth ranked team in just the second week of the season, Fresno State was not able to keep up with No. 24 Utah in a 3-0 loss in the USC/LMU Invitational on Sunday. Freshman Kelly Leonardo led the Bulldog attack with nine kills on the match, and libero Cheryl Selenak had 10 digs.
Scoring the first five points of the match, Utah came out strong but Fresno State was able to score five points right back after a side out on a kill by Kelly Leonardo, as Fresno State had their closest game of the match in the first set. The Bulldogs held Utah to .156 hitting in the first game, but hit in the negative themselves as the team was unable to sustain the early run. Two Utah blocks and a hitting error by Alisha McKee presented Utah with a lead that would remain for the rest of the game, as the Utes took game one 30-19.
With an increased hitting percentage in the next two games, Utah's offense improved to .272 for the match while Fresno State continued to hit in the negative as a result of strong blocking from the Utah front row, who ended with 13 total blocks. Lori Baird finished with 5 block assists, and Emillie Toone and Whitney Webb both finished with a block solo and three assists for the Utes.
Fresno State held a slim lead early in the second game at 7-6, but Utah took made two quick rallies to extend a 13-11 lead to a 20-12 lead on the way to a 30-18 win in game two. Game three was more of the same, as Utah hit .314 and scored 10 of the first 13 points on the way to a 30-17 win in the deciding game.
At the conclusion of tournament play for the Bulldogs, the team has a 1-6 record with two more road games to play. Fresno State begins a swing of Pac-10 matches, heading north for two matches on the road against Oregon and Oregon State next weekend before a meeting with defending national champion Washington at home in the Save Mart Center on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. That match will be the first of the season for the Bulldogs in the 15,596 arena, but certainly not the last as the team makes a permanent move into the facility beginning with that game.
