Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Saint Mary's
`Dogs Conclude Opening Weekend, Finish Third
8/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 30, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State volleyball team wrapped up play on opening weekend in the Fresno State Invitational at the Save Mart Center, dropping a 3-0 match to tournament winners Saint Mary's by set scores of 25-20, 25-21 and 25-22. Fresno State is now 1-2 on the season.
Tairyn Rasmussen led the team with 10 kills and Lacey Gera had a season-high .389 hitting percentage. Kasey Van Grouw led the way with 22 assists.
Freshman Brianna Clarke added nine kills and was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts, mainly her 19 kills in the Bulldogs season-opening thriller over Cal State Bakersfield.
"St. Mary's is a great team and we played well against them," said head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell. "That was a good loss if you can have one and it will pay off in the end. It was a good tournament with great teams."
Next up for Fresno State is cross-town rival Fresno Pacific. The Sunbirds visit the Save Mart Center for the first time ever in Wednesday's 7 p.m. match. The match can be heard live on 790 ESPN Radio the Deuce and seen live on Comcast Local 14.
"It's awesome to be back in season," said Lisa Gera. "We need to get back in the gym and continue to work on our objectives and just keep focusing on that. Rebuilding doesn't happen overnight. We will just take things one day at a time."
All Tournament Team
Rosemary Stribling, MB, Cal State Bakersfield
Brianna Clarke, MH, Fresno State
Chantal Paschetta, OH, UC Davis
Renee Ibekwe, OH, UC Davis
Taylor Groess, OH, St. Mary's
Shannon Lowell, MB, St. Mary's
MVP - Megan York, OH, St. Mary's
Tournament Winners - St. Mary's 3-0
Runner's Up - UC Davis 2-1
Third Place - Fresno State 1-2
CSUB 0-3
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The Fresno State volleyball team takes on cross-town rival Fresno Pacific at the Save Mart Center on Wednesday, September 3 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now through the Save Mart Center Box Office, by calling (559) 485-TIXS or online at ticketmaster.com.
