Fresno State Athletics
Two Non-Conference Matches On Slate for Bulldogs
10/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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Oct. 15, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State volleyball team plays two local non-conference teams this week, hosting Cal State Bakersfield Tues. (Oct. 16) at 7 p.m. and traveling across town to NAIA powerhouse Fresno Pacific for an exhibition match on Wed. (Oct. 17) also at 7 p.m.
This Week's Opponents:
Cal State Bakersfield - The Bulldogs and Roadrunners will meet for the first time since 1991, when Fresno State won 3-1. Fresno State leads the overall series 9-0. Cal State Bakersfield is new to Division I and compete as an Independent. They went 4-16 in 2006 and have returned nine letterwinners this season. Sarah Norman leads the team with over four kills per game. The Roadrunners are 4-14 so far in 2007. The match will be broadcasted on Comcast Channel 14 at 7 p.m.
Fresno Pacific - Fresno State and Fresno Pacific will meet for their annual exhibition match at the Special Events Center on Wednesday. The Sunbirds were the 2006 NAIA runner-up with a 36-2 overall record and a 19-1 Golden Valley Conference record. The Sunbirds are ranked No. 1 in NAIA and are undefeated at 21-0 and have posted a 12-0 record in conference play. So far in 2007, they have defeated nine NAIA ranked teams. The match will be broadcasted live on ESPN 1430.
This Week in the WAC - On Monday (Oct. 15): Boise State at Idaho State (6 p.m.) and No. 12 Hawai'i at Utah State (6 p.m.). Tuesday (Oct. 16): Cal State Bakersfield at Fresno State (7 p.m.). Wednesday (Oct. 17): Fresno State at Fresno Pacific - Exhibition (7 p.m.). Thursday (Oct. 18): Boise State at Utah Valley State (6 p.m.), Idaho at Utah State (6 p.m.), Nevada at No. 20 New Mexico State (6 p.m.) and San Jose State at Louisiana Tech (5 p.m.). Saturday (Oct. 20): San Jose State at No. 20 New Mexico State (12 p.m.), Nevada at Louisiana Tech (5 p.m.) and Utah State at Boise State (6 p.m.). Sunday (Oct. 21): No. 12 Hawai'i at No. 1 Nebraska (1 p.m.).
Current WAC Standings - Hawai'i is on top, still undefeated at 9-0. New Mexico State is at 8-1, followed by Nevada and Utah State in a tie for third at 6-3. Idaho is 5-3 then Fresno State at 3-7, San Jose State at 2-6 and Louisiana Tech and Boise State are tied at 1-9.
Last Week - Fresno State fell to Nevada 3-0 for the second time this season but rebounded and snapped its six-match losing streak by sweeping Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs have now won five-straight against the Lady Techsters dating back to last season.
First Road Victory of 2007 - Fresno State won its first road game on the 2007 season in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 victory over Boise State. It was the second match this season that the Bulldogs were down 0-2 and came back to win in five. Alisha McKee had a season-high 20 kills in the match and was nominated for WAC player of the week honors. The Bulldogs then traveled to western Idaho to take on the Vandals in Moscow. Idaho prevailed with a 3-1 victory. Lauren Berger led FS with a .588 hitting percentage with 12 kills.
First Conference Victory - The Bulldogs defeated La. Tech, 3-0, to earn their first conference win on the 2007 season on Sept. 15, and to move them to 1-1 in conference play. Fresno State also hosted Oregon State out of the Pac-10 Conference and the Beavers defeated the Bulldogs for the second straight year, 3-0. Fresno State fell in the WAC opener to New Mexico State, 3-0.
Bulldogs Get Huge Win in Kansas - Sept. 7-8, FS traveled to Manhattan, Kans. to play in the Varney's Kansas State Invitational. In an exciting opening match for Fresno State, it defeated Arkansas 3-2. The Bulldogs were down 2-0 after losing games of 30-14 and 30-13. They rallied back to win the final three games and the match. It was the first time since 2001 that Fresno State had lost the first two games and came back to win in five. It was also the biggest point deficit overcome since 30-point scoring six years ago. In game two, the Bulldogs faced No. 22 Kansas State and were swept 3-0. The Wildcats won all three matches of their own tournament to take the title. FS fell in the final match of the tournament to Northern Iowa, 3-0, with game scores of 30-24, 30-28 and 30-24, and finished the tournament in third place (1-2).
Kansas State All-Tournament Team - Sophomore Lacey Gera was named to the Kansas State Invitational all-tournament team as she helped the Bulldogs come back in that thrill against Arkansas on day one. Fresno State was down two games to zero and won the last three to take the match.
Comcast Game Change - The Sept. 15 home match against Louisiana Tech was unable to be broadcasted on Comcast Channel 14 and has the station has chosen the Nov. 1 match against San Jose State as the replacement broadcast. Both the Nevada and Utah State matches this week will be broadcasted live on Channel 14. The Nevada match will also be broadcasted on 790 ESPN the Deuce.
Bulldogs Sweep UC Davis for First Win of Season - The 2007 home schedule saw the Bulldogs earn their first win of the season with a 3-0 sweep of UC Davis. FS had a season-high hitting percentage of .286, led by senior Angela Wiggins with a .333 percentage. In the home opener, the Bulldogs fell to Idaho State 3-1, as freshman Tairyn Rasmussen had her first career double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs. Undefeated St Mary's closed out this weekend as they continued their streak and improved to 5-0 on the season. Freshman setter Kasey Van Grouw led the Bulldogs with her third-career double-double with 16 assists and 10 digs. With a .286 hitting percentage, sophomore Kelly Leonardo led FS as she had five kills in 14 attempts.
Leading the Way - With a .310 hitting percentage, 19 kills and 10 block assists in opening weekend, freshman Lauren Berger was named the Toyota/gobulldogs.com Student-Athlete of the week by Fresno State on Aug. 27.
This and That - In the 2007 WAC pre-season coaches poll, Fresno State was selected eighth in the nine-team conference. Hawai'i is favored to repeat by picking up 64 total points. New Mexico State was picked second, followed by San Jose State and Idaho who tied for third. Nevada was selected fifth, Boise State sixth and Utah State seventh, followed by Fresno State and Louisiana Tech.
The Bulldogs went 6-24 in 2006 and recorded a 3-13 record in Western Athletic Conference play. Their season ended with a loss to top-seeded Hawai'i in the WAC tourney, 3-0. Hawai'i eventually went on to the NCAA tournament where it fell to UCLA in the elite eight and ended the year ranked ninth in the country.
Showtime for the 'Dogs - Fresno State will continue to have a strong media presence in 2007. 790 ESPN the Deuce will be carrying five matches in 2006, beginning with the home opener Aug. 30 vs. Idaho State from the Big Sky Conference. In addition, the Bulldogs will again be televised on Comcast Channel 14, as the network will carry six games live starting also with the Idaho State match. For nearly a decade, Comcast has provided coverage of Fresno State women's sports. This season the partnership continues with the airing 18 Olympic Sporting Events. There will be a new voice of the Bulldogs on television in 2007 with the addition of Guy Haberman from 1430 ESPN Radio as the new play-by-play announcer. Haberman is a recent graduate of Fresno State in broadcast journalism. He worked at the Fresno State radio station 90.7 KFSR for two years and ESPN Radio for two years as well broadcasting Bulldog volleyball, soccer and softball games.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The Bulldogs return home to the Save Mart Center during Homecoming Week on Tuesday, October 16th at 7 p.m. against Cal State Bakersfield. Tickets can be purchased through the Save Mart Center Box Office, by phone at (559)485-TIXS, or online at Ticketmaster.com.
