Fresno State Athletics
Volleyball Announces 2010 Schedule
6/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
June 22, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - In her third year as head coach of the Fresno State volleyball team, Lauren Netherby-Sewell and her staff have once again put together a competitive schedule for the upcoming season. The 2010 schedule features three Pacific 10 Conference teams and four teams that advanced to last year's NCAA Tournament.
"We're putting ourselves to the test this season," said Netherby-Sewell. "The three Pac-10 teams and numerous surrounding conference teams will all prepare us to be more resilient and consistent once WAC play is underway."
The `Dogs begin the season hosting the Fresno State Classic, just one of two home tournaments on the season at the Save Mart Center, Aug. 27-28. The first tournament features UC Riverside, Santa Clara and Oregon. Last year, the Ducks advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as the No. 14 seed, falling to Kentucky 3-0.
The second tournament of the year sends the `Dogs to Berkeley, Calif., and the University of California, Sept. 10-11. There, Fresno State will face Seton Hall, UC Davis and the Golden Bears. Cal was the No. 9 overall national seed last year and fell to the eventual champion Penn State, 3-0, in the Elite 8.
Fresno State finishes up non-conference tournament play by hosting the Fresno State Invitational, Sept. 17-18. Cal State Bakersfield, USC and Sacramento State will all compete at the Save Mart Center. USC lost in the second round to Hawai'i in last year's NCAA Tournament.
Other non-conference matches during the season for the `Dogs will be in Orem, Utah on Sept. 2 vs. Air Force and on Sept. 4 vs. Utah Valley. The annual exhibition match vs. Fresno Pacific will be held at the Save Mart Center on Sept. 8. The final non-conference match of the season will be at Cal State Bakersfield on Oct. 20.
The `Dogs quest for the WAC title begins on Sept. 24 in Fresno vs. Idaho and concludes with a match at home against San Jose State on Nov. 18. Hawai'i, last year's No. 12 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and a Final Four participant will be in town on Nov. 11. For the second-straight year, the WAC Tournament will be held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"The WAC is again an ever-evolving conference," Netherby-Sewell added. "Hawai'i will continue to be good. New Mexico's complexion is hard to figure out as they always surprise us with new faces. Beyond the consistently top two, wins are up for grabs. We're gunning hard to be the most well prepared team in the conference. I want to surprise the top-tier teams in the WAC this year."
Last year, the `Dogs finished in a tie for fourth in the regular season and a tie for third at the WAC Tournament. Both finishes were a program best in five years. This year's team will be young but looks to continue upon the improvement that the program has seen the last three seasons.
"Many have said we'll be young," said Netherby-Sewell. "While this is true, our returners are more polished and our incoming players are fearless. This schedule will show my returning student-athletes that I have confidence in their readiness to challenge more established teams. I also want my freshmen to understand what our expectations are with regards to level of play for Bulldog Volleyball."
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