Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Hawai'i
Dogs Push No. 3 Hawai'i in WAC Battle
11/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 11, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - The Bulldogs came out fighting this evening against the No. 3 Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine and kept their pedal to the metal all night long. The strong effort resulted in three aggressive sets with one of the nation's best and ended with No. 3 Hawai'i winning 3-0 on Thursday night in the Save Mart Center by set scores of 25-20, 25-18 and 25-22.
During the evening, Fresno State took time to honor the nation's veterans during a special Presentation of Colors and passed out American flags for a crowd of 1,138 for Veteran's Night.
"This is what's so great about being a D1 (Division 1) program in the WAC," head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell reflected. "We get to play teams like Hawai'i. Tonight we got to see what the future holds for us."
Senior captain Kelly Mason took on her usual role of team leader and played outstanding defense. On the night, she recorded 17 digs and forced No.3 Hawai'i (24-1, 5-9 WAC) to make late charges in each of the three sets to secure the victory. Fellow senior captain Kasey Van Grouw also showed her leadership skills on the court to keep her Bulldogs fired up throughout the contest.
"I have seen a huge change in both of them in maturity and drive and willingness to take responsibility of the good and the bad," Netherby-Sewell said about her veteran players. "They had a lot of fight tonight on the court."
The weekly Fresno State volleyball Fighting Spirit Award was given to both senior captains.
"Our two captains, Kasey and Kelly, are playing great and doing a great job running this team," sophomore Marissa Brand noted. "It is a combination of everyone playing together on this team."
Brand also came out strong and recorded 12 kills to keep the WAC leader working hard all night. After Van Grouw delivered a perfectly executed kill from the setting position, Brand powered a huge kill in the third set to help the Bulldogs gain their biggest lead of the night at 14-11 and maintained the edge as late as 15-12 in the final set.
The Bulldogs will take on Idaho on Monday night with a chance to earn their way to the a berth in the 2010 WAC Tournament next week.
"We need to stay focused on Monday night," said Netherby-Sewell. "Idaho is a tough team on the road. We are a completely different team than when we first played them. Statistically we have been getting better week to week. We need to play like the way we have been practicing."
With Boise State's 3-0 win over Louisiana Tech, Fresno State (11-15, 5-9 WAC) dropped into seventh place in the WAC standings and fell a match behind the Broncos for the final spot in the 2010 WAC Tournament.
We Are Your Team! --- Fresno State will hit the road this weekend to take on Idaho on November 15. Check www.gobulldogs.com for live scoring and updates on the valley's favorite volleyball team!
