Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Sacramento State
`Dogs Rally to Road Win
9/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
SACRAMENTO - The words of encouragement from the bench were simple, but very clear: "Be aggressive... be aggressive."
With a tenacious and resilient surge, the Bulldog volleyball team rallied to a 3-1 (14-25, 25-21, 25-13) road victory Friday night over Sacramento State on Colberg Court.
"That was good win against a good team," head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell said of the win. "That last set was a tough one, but we showed real progress in our maturity to keep fighting when a team is putting pressure on us. I am really proud of how we fought tonight."
After the Bulldogs fell behind, they used their inner fire to take the final three sets - capped by winning the final five points of the fourth set to seal the victory.
"As a team, we learned how to fight as a team," sophomore Korrin Wild said. "We were really engaged in all of our jobs and just focused on what we needed to do for the next point."
Marissa Brand, who tallied her fourth consecutive double-double to start the season (15 kills and 13 digs), reflected on the team's preparation heading into this weekend's Invitational that helped when the match was on the line.
"After the previous weekend, we have been working on our fighting spirit, which is fighting through adversity," Brand said. "In that fourth set, we needed a lot of fight."
Brand added that she and her teammates locked in with a focused mindset to put away the feisty nest of Hornets.
"We weren't tentative and kept swinging," Brand said. "We all did our individual jobs that helped us accomplish our goal to finish it off right then."
On the floor, Wild led the `Dogs defensively as she remained nails at libero with a team-high 16 digs in the four-set affair, including several key ones down the stretch.
The strong finish pushed Fresno State (2-2) into a tournament showdown with Cal State Northridge on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. before completing play at the Sacramento State Invitational in a 5 p.m. contest versus Marist.
"We Are Your Team!" - Stay connected with Fresno State Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@FSAthletics) and watch the Bulldogs all season at the Save Mart Center. The next chance to see the 'Dogs at home is Sept. 22 when the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners make the trip north on Highway 99 for a non-conference match. Fresno State students, who receive free admission to all Bulldog volleyball matches, are eligible to win $500 to The Bulldog Shop by attending the match as part of the 2011 "Break the Bank" Challenge.
