Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Nevada
Brand Continues Streak, Dogs Fall to Pack
10/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 28, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - Despite a furious late rally by the Bulldogs, Fresno State fell 3-1 (19-25, 25-27, 25-19, 23-25) at the hands of the Nevada Wolf Pack during Thursday night's Western Athletic Conference showdown in the Save Mart Center.
Sophomore Marissa Brand extended her double-double streak to four straight matches and took control of the WAC lead with her tenth of the 2010 season.
Kelly Mason, a senior team captain from Temecula, Calif., provided a career-best performance as she recorded 29 digs, which topped her previous high of 25 in three separate contests.
"Offensively we have the tools, we just missed some key opportunities," head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell said. "It was composure and the moments that mattered. (Nevada) stayed more aggressive."
After dropping the first two sets by scores of 25-19 and 27-25, Fresno State (10-12, 4-6 WAC), led by Brand's strong showing on the outside, came out firing and secured a decisive third set victory, 25-19.
"Our outside hitters had a great match," Netherby-Sewell noted.
The run continued as the Bulldogs moved ahead 16-14 in the fourth set before Nevada's late charge put away the match.
The Wolf Pack improved to 12-11 on the season and 6-4 against WAC opponents behind the power of a pair of two 20-plus kill performances, including 23 by Kylie Harrington and 20 by Lindsay Baldwin.
Both teams remained in the same position in the WAC standings. Nevada is in third place while Fresno State is tied for fifth in league action. The top six schools qualify for the 2010 WAC Tournament in Las Vegas' Orleans Arena Nov. 22-24. Tickets are available at www.gobulldogs.com or through The Bulldog Ticket Office at 559-278-3647.
Fresno State will next face Utah State on Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the Save Mart Center.
Bulldogs Celebrate Centennial
At intermission, Fresno State honored volleyball alumni with a ceremony recognizing their contributions to the program.
"I was happy to see a nice turnout for the alumni," Netherby-Sewell added. "Something we really want to improve on in the future is for Bulldogs to stay Bulldogs."
"We Are Your Team!" -- After celebrating Fresno State's Centennial on Thursday night, the Bulldogs will finish the WAC homestand against Utah State on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. in the Save Mart Center and then head east on a road trip to NMSU and Louisiana Tech. The Nov. 4 contest at New Mexico State will be broadcast live on KAIL at 6 p.m. Pacific.
