Fresno State Athletics
Brand's Streak on the Line
9/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 16, 2011
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'Dogs Head to UNLV Classic | Fresno State: Weekly Notes | Meet Your 'Dogs: Kristen Sciacca | UNLV Classic Central
LAS VEGAS - Marissa Brand wants to touch the ball whenever she walks on a volleyball court.
The 6-1 junior outside hitter unleashes a coy rocket of an arm on offense and stays as fundamentally sound as she can on defense to scoop up dig after dig.
It is this transformation and all-around development from an All-Western Athletic Conference freshman middle blocker to one of the absolute best outside hitters in the West that should scare anyone trying to block her path.
Even when you set aside the leadership she provides as one of three returning upperclassmen, Brand's statistics are turning heads.
Brand is on a kill streak where she has launched 10 or more kills in each of 'Dogs last 11 matches, despite eight of those being decided in three sets and three against Top 20 opponents. She opened the year by cruising to four double-doubles after leading the WAC with 12 a season ago even as the Bulldogs' competition try futilely to contain her persistent damage.
The WAC honored Brand as the winner of a pair of conference weekly honors over a three-week playing stretch.
But as her accolades and impressive play get more and more attention, Brand stays humble and focused - with high expectations.
"We know the importance of taking care of our individual jobs," Brand said. "We all want to make it to the NCAA Tournament and by working together, we can get there."
Bulldogs Ready for Rebels
On Friday night, Brand and her Bulldog teammates turn their focus to UNLV - their future Mountain West Conference travel partner when Fresno State joins the MW in 2012 - when the schools square off on the Rebels' home court.
And while the Bulldogs remain focused on finishing strong in the final year as a member of the WAC, Fresno State (4-4) is looking forward to the chance to battle UNLV (5-4) in the 7:30 p.m. featured showdown at the Cox Pavilion.
"I'm really pleased we were able to schedule our future conference foe - UNLV," fourth-year head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell said. "We rely on everyone to be consistent on offense and defense for us. This is a great opportunity for us and we look forward to tonight's contest."
Along with the `Dogs and Rebels, the Big-12 Conference's Baylor Bears and West Coast Conference's San Francisco Dons round out the four-team round-robin tournament.
UNLV's Cox Pavilion has a seating capacity of 2,452 compared to the Bulldogs' Save Mart Center configuration that can hold 3,333.
A Look Inside the Bulldogs' Friday Afternoon Practice:
"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.
