Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Boise State
`Dogs Buck Broncos in Five Set Thriller
9/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
FRESNO, Calif. - On Breast Cancer Awareness night, the Fresno State volleyball team showcased their resolve and unity in a thrilling five set victory by set scores of 19-25, 29-27, 21-25, 25-23 and 15-7.
Junior Brianna Clarke, a native of Clovis, Calif., launched a season-high 18 kills on 36 attacks with only two errors for a .444 hitting percentage. She also tallied 21.5 points and eight blocks. On the season, Clarke has averaged 1.40 blocks per set.
Senior Kasey Van Grouw tossed up a season-high 36 assists.
Clarke and Van Grouw both received the "Fighting Spirit" Awards for the week.
"Kasey is willing to play any position at any time," head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell said. "She came in and settled us down. Bri is coming along as an upperclassman. She was very competitive and asking her teammates to step up. This was an impressive win against a team that knows how to win with seniors. This is the potential I have been talking about."
Boise State started the match with a 25-19 wire-to-wire win in set one. Clarke and freshman Korrin Wild each recorded four kills to pace the `Dogs during the opening set.
In set two, the Bulldogs grabbed their first lead of the match with a 9-8 edge and jumped into a fiery battle highlighted by a fearless late comeback. Boise State climbed ahead 24-18, but Fresno State used a strong string of serves by Van Grouw to dismiss six straight Bronco set points.
Senior Lauren Berger finished the comeback by blasting the winning set point on a beautifully placed assist from Van Grouw, who moved to setter late in the second set, for a 29-27 set two victory and evened the match at 1-1.
The Broncos responded in set three over a back and forth fight of 15 tied scores and three lead changes before BSU pulled away and secured the set 25-21.
The Bulldogs remained focused and forced a fifth and deciding set on the power of Clarke's four kills on seven attacks with no errors (.571 %) in the 'Dogs 25-23 fourth set win. Clarke added a block solo and a block assist in that fourth set.
In the final set, Fresno State sprinted ahead 8-4 and showcased their ability to dominantly finish with a 15-7 victory.
"Getting a win in WAC makes a statement," Clarke noted. "We needed to be loud and go hard."
Van Grouw praised Clarke for her presence on the floor.
"Bri had a presence on the floor tonight, but tonight we had a spark as a team," Van Grouw said. "It was the entire team that made the difference."
Fresno State improved to 6-7 overall, 4-4 at the Save Mart Center and 1-1 in WAC contests this season. Boise State fell to 13-3 overall and dropped their first WAC match of the year.
The `Dogs will head out on the road to compete at Utah State next Thursday, Sept. 30 with live stats available at www.gobulldogs.com.
CLARKE'S BLOCK WATCH
Junior Brianna Clarke entered this week's matches ranked seventh in the nation with 1.49 blocks per set. Clarke registered 4.5 blocks tonight against Boise State and recorded two block assists on Thursday night in the Bulldogs' WAC opener against Idaho. After the week of play, Clarke has now averaged 1.40 blocks per set this season.
`Dogs Honor Breast Cancer Survivors, Raise Awareness for Research
Before the match, Fresno State honored breast cancer survivors with and the team sported pink headbands, tape and bows to raise awareness for the disease that affects one of every five women. The Bulldog spirit squad also donned pink bows and fans throughout the Save Mart Center work pink to support the cause.
"I have had a lot of people in my life who have fought cancer," Van Grouw reflected after the match. "The fighting spirit they have is a million times greater than we can ever have on the floor."
Netherby-Sewell loved having the opportunity to raise awareness about breast cancer.
"Any time we can have a forum to honor women and health, we embrace it," Netherby-Sewell added. "We are honored to have competed on a night like tonight."
"We Are Your Team!" -- The Fresno State Bulldog volleyball team takes their first Western Athletic Conference road trip next week when the `Dogs visit Utah State on Sept. 30 and Nevada on Oct. 2. The Bulldogs return home to play Louisiana Tech on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. and New Mexico State on Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for seniors/youth and free for Fresno State students with their ID card.
