Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
UNLV
Bulldog Comeback Just Short at UNLV
9/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 16, 2011
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LAS VEGAS --- Even in a 3-2 loss to UNLV, the fire and fight inside the Fresno State volleyball team took center court on Friday evening in Cox Pavilion.
"We got better at the things we worked on this week," head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell said. "Our composure is the issue and time will heal that part of our game, but I liked our comeback against a home team."
By refusing to let a 2-0 deficit after the first sets faze them, the 'Dogs fought back behind a match-best 20 kills by Marissa Brand, which extended her double-digit kill run to 12 straight matches, and forced a fifth set.
"They had a lot of energy and played well," Netherby-Sewell said of UNLV. "To recover from that start is pretty impressive."
The Bulldogs and Rebels went toe-to-toe in the final set before UNLV (6-4) escaped the Fresno State (4-5) comeback bid for a sixth victory in its last seven matches.
"This kind of loss is the matter of a couple of points, so we just have to keep working on going for it at the end of matches," Netherby-Sewell said.
Fresno State junior Cecilia Agraz and sophomore Lauren Albertson also surpassed the double-digit kill mark with 13 and 11, respectively.
"Lauren really figured some things out offensively and we hope she continues to do what she did tonight," Netherby-Sewell noted. "CC also came through during the really tense moments and we plan to build on that."
Freshman Maci Murdock, a Turlock native who made her third straight start for the 'Dogs, added a career-best seven kills and a .545 hitting percentage.
Madeline Westman led the Rebels as she delivered 13 kills for a .407 hitting percentage.
Fresno State will wrap up play at the UNLV Classic on Saturday when they face Baylor at 9:30 a.m. and San Francisco at 5 p.m.
Baylor defeated San Francisco in straight sets earlier on Friday in other UNLV Classic action.
Bulldogs' All-Time Series Records vs. 2012 MW Volleyball Members
AFA - Fresno State leads 4-0
BSU - Fresno State leads 17-7
CSU - Fresno State leads 7-5
UNM - UNM leads 8-7
NEV - Nevada leads 18-20
SDSU - SDSU leads 22-9-2
UNLV - Fresno State leads 4-2
WYO - Wyoming leads 10-8
Overall: Fresno State leads 76-75-2
"Break the Bank" Volleyball Challenge
Fresno State students receive free admission to all Bulldog volleyball matches and are eligible to win $500 to The Bulldog Shop by attending the Sept. 22 match as part of the 2011 "Break the Bank" Challenge.
"We Are Your Team!" - Stay connected with Fresno State Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@FSAthletics). The next chance to see the 'Dogs at home is Sept. 22 when Bakersfield makes the trip north on Highway 99 for a non-conference match before starting WAC play on Sept. 24 at Nevada.
