'Dogs Back On the Road

10/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Dayna Hill
daynah@csufresno.edu
Gobulldogs.com
Oct. 29, 2014

Thursday, 10/30 - vs. San Jose State (3-19, 0-9) - 6 p.m. - www.GoWolfPack.com
- Location: Virginia Street Gym, Reno, Nevada. - Live Video Stream: www.GoBulldogs.com/videos

Saturday, 10/25 - vs. Nevada (5-14, 2-7) - 1 p.m. - www.SJSUspartans.com
- Location: Spartan Gym, San Jose, Calif. - Live Video Stream: www.GoBulldogs.com/videos

`DOGS BACK ON THE ROAD FOR MATCHES VS. SPARTANS/WOLF PACK

The Fresno State volleyball team (6-18, 1-9) takes the road once again to continue their second half of the Mountain West Conference slate playing San Jose State (3-20, 0-10) this Thursday, Oct. 30 and UNLV (19-5, 7-2) on Saturday, Nov. 1.

The `Dogs were undefeated against the Spartans and the Wolf Pack in every meeting during the 2013 season. This season the `Dogs split the series with both the Spartans and Wolf Pack that rank eleventh and ninth in the MW this week, respectively. Earlier this month in the Save Mart Center the `Dogs took Nevada to 5 sets, falling 3-2 and beat San Jose State, in three straight games winning 3-0.

Last weekend, San Jose State and Nevada both went 0-2 on the road vs. Air Force and New Mexico, and the Wolf Pack later beat the Spartans, 3-0, in San Jose. Last week the `Dogs lost at home against San Diego State and UNLV in their fourth and fifth home contests of the season.

RECENT FRESNO STATE ACTION
Last weekend, the `Dogs were home at the Save Mart Center and lost 3-1 against San Diego State and UNLV. The week prior, Fresno State lost at Utah State and Boise State by a scores of 0-3.

In their previous home action four weeks ago, the Bulldogs went past the 25-point regulation mark in all three sets of its sweep of San Jose State (28-26, 27-25, 30-28). Two days before, Fresno State jumped ahead of Nevada, 2-0, with 25-19, 25-21 victories, before falling 3-2 (by 25-22, 27-25 and 15-12 scores).

Team-wise, the `Dogs hit .253 and .268 vs. Nevada & SJSU for their fifth- and sixth-best marks of the year. Fresno State's 68 kills vs. Nevada was an overall season high, and its 56 kills vs. the Spartans was its best in a three-setter.

FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD
Next week, the Bulldogs will play their sixth and seventh home game of the season of the season with matches against nationally ranked Colorado State (Thu., Nov. 6) and Nevada (Sat., Nov. 8).

RECENT BULLDOG STARTERS (2014 Season Statistics)

Pos. # Player                  MP-MS   AVG   K    K/S  SA  SA/S  TB   B/S     PTS    PT/SOH - #18 Zana Bowens, Jr.      24-24  .179  270   3.10 34  0.39  20  0.23    315.5   3.63OH - #9 Jaimee-Lee Morrow, Sr. 22-9   .156  131   2.05  7  0.11   7  0.11    141.5   2.21MB - #16 Maci Murdock, Sr.     19-19  .199  161   2.27  0  0.00  51  0.72    189.5   2.67MB - #4 Lauren Torres, Fr.     21-12  .108   61   1.05  1  0.02  33  0.57     80.0   1.38RS - #7 Carly Scarbrough, Fr.  24-18  .131  197   2.37  0  0.00  30  0.36    215.5   2.60RS - #4 Taylor Brubaker, Fr.   6-3    .020    8    .50  0  0.00   1  0.06      8.5   0.53
Pos. # Player                 MP-MS  A    A/S  SA  SA/S     D   D/S   PTS   PT/SS - #14 Brooke Legaux, So.    19-7  395  6.17  6   0.09   105  1.64  20.0   0.31S - #6 Jelena Jovanovic, Jr.  21-17 458  7.16  4   0.06   130  2.03  46.0   0.72L - #23 Maggie Eppright, So.  24-0  60   0.69 12    .14   307  3.53  13.0   0.15

RECENT BULLDOG HEROES
- Combined last weekend against San Diego State and UNLV, junior outside hitter Zana Bowens paced the team in kills (3.12 p/s), points (3.50 p/s) and aces (0.38 p/s), and ranked second in digs (2.62 p/s). Against SDSU, she led the team in digs (12) for the eighth time this year - tops on the team among non-liberos in 2014. Her 13 kills vs. the Aztecs was two shy of the team leader and among 17 double-digit kill totals on the year. Her 12 digs vs. SDSU marked her 10th double-double on the season and 12th career-wise (a category she ranked second in the MW this week). Against UNLV, she paced the squad in kills (12), points (14) and aces (2) for the 14th, 17th and 16th times this season, respectively. She capped the weekend ranked top 10 in MW season-wise in aces (second, 0.39 p/s), double-doubles (third, 9), kills (ninth, 3.10 p/s) and points (10th, 3.64 p/s). On the season, she paces the team in kills (3.10 p/s), aces (0.39) and points (3.62), and ranks top 10 in the MW in aces (first, 0.39 p/s), kills (eighth, 3.10 p/s) and points (10th, 3.63 p/s). She was tabbed to all-tournament teams at the three early season tournaments -the Adidas Rice Invitational, Sacramento State Invitational and CSUB's Roadrunner Classic.

- Freshman hitter Carly Scarbrough (Sarasota, Fla.) led the `Dogs in kills (7) and hitting (.250) at Boise State two Saturdays ago for the eighth and fourth times among her 22 matches this season. She has 10 double-digit kill totals on the campaign with the most recent three weekends ago vs. Nevada (15). In mid-September, she ran her then-streak of +10 kill totals to six straight in four East Coast matches. She landed a season-high 15 kills vs. New Hampshire (.500), and connected on her second +.500 total of the season. The day before she claimed a season-high .556 mark vs. St. Francis (10 kills) and a .429 mark against Dartmouth (12 kills) to give her three +.400 totals in four matches. In mid-September, she tied the team season high in blocks (7) in the three-set match vs. Long Beach State - four better than her previous best. The second week of the season, she joined Zana Bowens on the Sacramento State Invitational All-Tournament Team after she topped +10 kills vs. UCSB (11, .360) and Loyola Marymount (10), and just missed similar honors vs. Sacramento State (9). She also landed +10 kills her opening weekend as a collegian vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (12) and UC Davis (15). On the season, the 20-match starter at the outside and right side positions ranks second on the team in kills (2.37 p/s) and points (2.60 p/s).

- Senior Maci Murdock (Turlock, Calif.) has registered four of the team's five best block totals of the year vs. Dartmouth (7), LIU Brooklyn (7), Sacramento State (6) and Louisiana-Lafayette (5), and has topped the team in the category 12 times in 2014. She logged season highs in kills (14) and hitting (.500) vs. New Hampshire, and other +.300 percentages at Utah State (.438, 9K), vs. UNLV (.429, 8K) and at Sacramento State (.375, 8K) among her five team match highs in 2014. Her 0.73 blocks per set average on the campaign leads the team, and she ranks third on the squad in hitting (.199) and third in kills (2.27 p/s).

- Freshman Lauren Torres (Visalia, Calif.) has led the team in blocks in five matches vs. CSUB (5), SDSU (4), San Jose State (3), Oregon State (1) and Long Beach State (1). Three weeks ago vs. Nevada, she connected on season highs in kills (12), points (12.5) and hitting (.364) in her first match playing on the right side. In early September, she topped the team in blocks for the first time vs. Loyola Marymount (4), and connected on seven kills and hit .308 - both then-season highs. The 11-match starter ranks second on the squad in blocks (0.57 p/s) and landed her first career ace vs. San Diego State.

- Senior outside hitter Jaimee-Lee Morrow (Mooroolbark, Australia) topped the team in kills (15) for the second time this year against the Aztecs last week, and was one shy of her career high that came earlier in early September in a five-set win at Sacramento State. Her career high came when she posted team highs, in kills (16) and hitting (.333) vs. Sacramento State the second week of the season. The next day vs. UCSB, she paced the team in kills (14) for the first time in her career, and enjoyed her second straight +.300 total (.346). also posted her first career double-double with her 11 digs that nearly doubled her previous career high (6) at the Aztecs a month ago. Morrow also led the team in hitting (.237) for the second time on the campaign.

- With nine starts this year, senior Katie Pearson (San Jose, Calif.) led the team in aces (2) for the first time this fall at St. John's. She also logged multiple aces earlier in the week at NCAA Tourney returnee LIU Brooklyn (2) after achieving the feat three times in 2013. She posted three blocks vs. SJSU (her first match leader of 2014) and the Red Storm, and two against both LIUB and St. Francis.

- Redshirt junior Molly Pearson (San Jose, Calif.) posted her season high in kills (8) vs. San Jose State (.357) and vs. UCSB (.429). She also posted seven kills in the second match of the year vs. UC Davis and six against Sacramento State and LIU Brooklyn. Two weeks ago, she tied her season highs in aces (2) on consecutive attempts for the top match total at No. 7 Colorado State, and the other pair came vs. UC Davis. On the season, the 12-match starter is averaging 1.14 kills and 1.36 points per set.

- Junior transfer setter Jelena Jovanovic (Belgrade Serbia) has logged four +40 assist totals this year vs. New Hampshire (46, 4 sets), UC Davis (43, 5 sets), St. Francis (41, 3 sets) and St. John's (40, 4 sets) among her 12 team match highs. In the Kissler Classic, she led the team to its best hitting total in head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell's tenure vs. St. Francis (.468), and also +.300 marks against Dartmouth (.377) and New Hampshire (.346). The first-year `Dog and former two-year starter at Florida Atlantic has topped the `Dogs in digs three times vs. New Hampshire (17), Louisiana-Lafayette (13) and St. John's (11), and has four double-doubles among her starts (with the other vs. UC Davis (season high 16 digs). She has also paced the team in aces once vs. Sacramento State (2) and blocks once vs. St. John's (3). The 15-match starter leads the team in assists (7.16 p/s) and ranks third in digs (2.03 p/s), and top 10 conference-wise in assists (10th) and double-doubles (T12th, 5).

- Sophomore setter Brooke Legaux (Mission Viejo, Calif.) has started the first seven matches of her career this year and ranks second on the squad in assists (6.17 p/s) as a key part of the team's 6-2 offense. Her assists totals vs. Sacramento State (51), UCSB (38), LMU (36), SDSU (31) and LIU Brooklyn (27) easily topped her previous career best of 18 at Nevada from 2013. She posted a career-high 12 digs vs. UCSB to round out her first double-double, and she added another at LIUB (11 digs). In her first collegiate start at Sacramento State, she directed the squad to its fourth-best mark in hitting in 2014 (.290). She landed an ace in recent matches vs. SDSU, Nevada, SJSU and Utah State, and also earlier in the fall vs. UCSB and Oregon State.

- En route to Kissler Classic All-Tournament honors, redshirt freshman right side hitter Haylee Roberts (Bakersfield, Calif.) logged three of her double-digit kill tallies as a Bulldog vs. St. John's (13), St. Francis (11, .688) and New Hampshire (10, .348), while the other came in mid-September in her hometown vs. Long Beach State (11, .333). She posted a season-high five blocks - the team's fourth-best mark of 2013 - against UC Davis and LIU Brooklyn - and has three match-leading totals. She has also led the team in hitting five times, and has six +.300 totals with others vs. Rice (.316, 8 kills) and Loyola Marymount (.500, 5 kills). On the year, she stands third on the squad in blocks (0.60 p/s), and fourth in points (2.42 p/s) and kills (2.12 p/s).

- Sophomore libero Maggie Eppright's 23 digs in the five-setter vs. Nevada stands as the team season high and conference season best. Similarly, her 21 digs in the five-set win vs. Sacramento State and four-setter against LIU Brooklyn are Fresno State's second-best marks on the year. Overall in 2014, the 22-match starter from San Luis Obispo, Calif., has led the team in digs in 14 matches with others against Rice (18, 3s), SJSU (16, 3s), UNLV (16, 3s), Louisiana-Lafayette (13, 4s), St. Francis (13, 3s), St. John's (11, 4s), Utah State (11, 4s), SDSU (10, 3s), Dartmouth (9, 3s), Wyoming (8, 3s), No. 7 Colorado State (7) and Boise State (4, 3s), and the tally vs. Rice was a career best for three sets. Last week against the Rebels, her 17 digs was her 15th match high on the campaign - and her eighth match with +15 digs or more.

- Freshman defensive specialist Jacqueline Hutcheson has played all 22 matches and started twice. Five weeks ago, the Exeter, Calif., native landed four aces - the team's third-best season total - to lead the `Dogs vs. New Hampshire. Among her four match-leaders this year, others came vs. Sacramento State (2), UNLV (2) and Dartmouth (1). In 2014's opener vs. ULL, her 13 digs tied for the team lead, and she also posted 12 digs at NCAA Tournament returnee LIU Brooklyn.

- With her 58 sets of play in 2014, senior defensive specialist Christina Lee is one of three `Dogs libero/defensive specialists that have played 60 sets or more. She has led the team in aces twice with her season high vs. St. Francis (3) and against Dartmouth (1) in the St. John's Kissler Classic. She also posted a season-best 20 digs to top the squad vs. UC Davis, and paced the team again vs. Loyola Marymount (8).

ON THE MW CHARTS
Three `Dogs combined for eight spots this week on the MW individual statistical rankings: - Zana Bowens, Jr.: Aces, 1st, 0.39 p/s; Double-Doubles: T2nd, 10; Kills, 8th, 3.10 p/s; Points, 10th, 3.63 p/s - Maggie Eppright, So.: Digs, 7th, 3.53 p/s - Jelena Jovanovic, Jr.: Assists, 10th, 7.16 p/s; Double-Doubles: T12th, 5

ALL-TIME VS. SAN JOSE STATE / NEVADA
Fresno State sports a 23-22 all-time advantage vs. Nevada in the series that dates back to 1971, while San Jose owns a 46-32 edge since their first tilt with the `Dogs in 1973.

2013 NOTABLE STATS VS. SAN JOSE STATE / NEVADA
• 10/02/14 - Nevada 3, Fresno State 2 (Fresno) - Zana Bowens - 15K .265, 19D, 5A; Jelena Jovanovic, 34A • 10/4/14 - San Jose State 0, Fresno 3 (Fresno) - Zana Bowens 15K, .462 3B; Maci Murdock 13K; Maggie Eppright 16D 2A

Fresno State NCAA Team/Individual Rankings (MW Rankings)
Assists - 176th 11.63 p/s (6th)
Kills - 180th, 12.42 p/s (6th)
Aces - 216th, 1.14 p/s (8th)
Hitting - 236th, .172 (9th)
Digs - 246th, 13.58 p/s (7th)
Blocks - 298th, 1.49 p/s (11th)
Opp. Hitting - 322nd, .258 (11th)

Zana Bowens - Aces, 57th, 0.40 p/s (1st)
Zana Bowens - Points, 195th, 3.69 p/s (8th)

San Jose State (MW Rankings)
Blocks - 1.95 (9th)
Opp. Hitting - .235 (8th)
Aces - 1.28 (5th)
Digs - 13.07 (8th)
Assists - 10.16 (11th)
Kills - 10.78 (11th)
Hitting - .119 1(1th)

Nevada (MW Rankings)
Hitting .190 (7th)
Kills - 12.15 p/s (10th)
Assists - 11.16 (10th)
Aces - 1.63 (1st)
Blocks - 2.03 (8th)
Digs - 12.63 (11th)
Opp. Hitting - .236 (9th)

SAN JOSE STATE SCOUTING REPORT (www.sjsuspartans.com/)
The Spartans (3-20, 0-10) and in last place in the Mountain West, posted all three of their wins this season in Chicago vs. South Dakota State, Chicago State and UMass-Lowell. Junior Tyanna Roy had her best hitting match of her Spartan career against Air Force on September 27. She led all hitters with a career-best 23 kills, her first 20+ kill match. Roy hit a career-best .408 (23-3-49). Freshman Sara Hibbs helped lead the Spartans to a 3-1 record at the Chicago State Tournament on Sept. 19-20. She led the team in kills in three of the four matches played and was named to the all-tournament team. Last weekend, Hibbs averaged 3.60 kills and 0.53 blocks per set. She had a season-best 21 kills in the five-set win over South Dakota State. She hit .324 for the weekend including .393 against Chicago State (15-4-28). Roy leads the team with 252 kills, 3.19 per set. She has recorded double-digit kills in 12 matches including 23 in a home match against Air Force and 20 at Boise State. Freshman Yavianliz Rosado leads the Spartans in digs with 316, 4.00 per set. She recorded 26 digs in the win over South Dakota State and has had double-digit digs in 16 matches including 20 or more digs in five matches. She is also tied for second on the team with 15 service aces. Senior Kiely Pieper goes into this match with 953 career digs. She is just 16 digs short of entering the top-10 all-time at San José State. Jessie Shull is the all-time leader with 2,260 digs during her four years (2003-06). Twice this season, two San José State hitters have recorded 20 or more digs in a match. Against South Dakota State on September 19, Freshman Sara Hibbs had 21 kills, while Freshman Nandyala Gama recorded 20 kills in the win. First-year head coach Jolene Shepardson spent the three prior seasons at CSUB and took a team that went 0-31 the year before her arrival to a 21-12 mark and second-place WAC finish in 2013 (and 12-4 league mark and WAC Tournament runner-up finish). In her prior stints, she served as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech, American, Winthrop and Regis. As a player, the former outside hitter helped South Florida to an NCAA Tournament bid in 2002 and a Conference USA title.

NEVADA SCOUTING REPORT (www.NevadaWolfPack.com)
The Wolf Pack enter Saturday night's match with a 6-14 overall record and a 3-7 Mountain West mark, good for ninth in the conference standings. The team fell at Air Force (3-1) and at New Mexico (3-1) last week. The Wolf Pack won their Monday night match against San Jose State (3-0). The Wolf Pack scored their first 2014 wins in their first four matches vs. Oral Roberts (3-0), South Alabama (3-1) and Sacramento State (3-0), and also pushed Pepperdine and Air Force to five sets. Nevada returns five starters from last year's squad, including 2012 All-MW middle blocker Tessa Lea'ea who ranked top 20 last year in the league in blocks (ninth), points (15th) and kills (16th). Nevada's most recent wins came against San Diego State (3-1) on October 16 and San Jose State (3-0) on Monday. Junior libero Kara Kasser has played every set her first 2 1/2 seasons and is averaging 3.07 digs per set this year. Despite a season-high 18 kills from junior Sam Willoughby and the seventh double-double of the season from freshman Madison Foley, the Nevada volleyball team could not get past Air Force as the Falcons topped the Wolf Pack, 3-1, on Oct. 25. Sophomore Kathryn Groenweghe had a career-high nine kills with a .438 hitting percentage while sophomore Lyndsey Anderson tallied 49 assists for the Pack (5-14, 2-7 MW). Freshman Madison Foley's 13 kill and 10 dig performance against Air Force on Oct. 25 marked her seventh double-double of the season, which is tied for eighth in the Mountain West. Foley and Lyndsey Anderson's seven double-doubles are tied for eighth Mountain West. Fourth-year head coach Ruth Lawanson was a former All-Region selection for the Bulldogs her senior season (1984), and the NorPac Co-Player of the Year led the team to a fifth-place NCAA finish that year and 26-13 overall mark. Afterward she played professionally in the U.S. and on the 1992 bronze medal Olympic Team. In other coaching stints, she served as an assistant coach at Purdue, Fresno State, Air Force and Nevada, and head coach at Angelo State.

REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS

Senior middle blocker Maci Murdock is easy to spot near the top the Bulldog career hitting charts with her .302 hitting mark (just behind 1992 Olympian Ruth Lawanson (.317) and Tera Booker (.315).

The Turlock, Calif., native is primed for improvements in other all-time Fresno State career categories and entering the weekend stands third in blocks assists (309) and seventh in total blocks (342). Season-wise, her .350 hitting mark from 2013 ranked third-best in school history behind Brianna Clarke's totals from 2010 and `11 (.365 / .351), and Murdock also stood ninth most sets played (122).

On defense, senior Christina Lee is fifth in career digs (1214) and Lee's career per set average (2.90) is 10th-best for the `Dogs.

Another team category leader in 2013 - libero Maggie Eppright - posted the second-best digs mark ever among Bulldog freshman (391) - 50 behind Tricia Tuley's frosh school record (441, 1993).

SKED CRED
The `Dogs will face a challenging regular season slate in 2014 that features trips to four time zones and contests vs. foes from 10 different conferences (America East, Big East, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Ivy, Mountain West, Northeast, Sun Belt and WAC)

Among the team's 24 opponents this fall, four are NCAA Tournament returnees - returning MW champion Colorado State, returning America East Tournament champion New Hampshire, returning Northeast Conference champion Long Island University-Brooklyn and UC Santa Barbara - and they sported RPI ratings of 23, 199, 84 and 62 at the end of last season.

Four more of Fresno State's foes this fall also sported top-100 RPI positions at the end of 2013 - New Mexico (68), Long Beach State (80), Utah State (81) and SDSU (89).

In the 2014 AVCA preseason poll, four Fresno State foes stood top 25 or received votes - No. 18 Colorado State, No. 34 UCSB, No. 38 Long Beach State and No. 39 New Mexico. Since then, now-No. 24 Loyola Marymount and Oregon State have received votes in other editions.

ALL-TOURNAMENT PROPS
Junior outside hitter Zana Bowens picked up three all-tournament honors earlier this fall in the Adidas Rice Invitational, Sacramento State Invitational and Roadrunner Classic, while freshman Carly Scarbrough also was honored in the Sacramento event.

In late September in the St. John's Kissler Classic, sophomore libero Maggie Eppright and redshirt freshman hitter Haylee Roberts added their first career honors.

Last fall, senior middle blocker Maci Murdock was one of four team members (and the only returnee in 2014) that staked all-tournament honors in the non-conference slate, thanks to her performance in the Fresno State Classic. In prior years, she also won a pair of honors in 2012 at Colorado and UTEP; while senior libero Christina Lee was a San Diego All-Tournament selection in `12.

FRESNO STATE SEASON PREVIEW
The `Dogs return for their seventh season under the direction of head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell with a mix of new faces expected to play key roles after the graduation of three players that were accorded Mountain West year-end honors last fall.

Three regular Bulldog starters return from 2013 - senior middle blocker Maci Murdock, and the libero/defensive specialist duo of senior Christina Lee and sophomore Maggie Eppright. Similarly, the trio of senior middle blocker Katie Pearson, junior outside hitter Zana Bowens and junior right side hitter Molly Pearson all started between 6-13 matches last season.

Senior outside hitter Jaimee-Lee Morrow and sophomore setter Brooke Legaux added duty in 20 and 18 matches last year, and round out the list of returnees that is balanced by two transfers and four freshmen.

NEW TO THE `DOG POUND
Junior transfer and setter Jelena Jovanovic (Belgrade, Serbia) was a two-year starter at Florida Atlantic, and redshirt freshman transfer and outside hitter Haylee Roberts (Bakersfield, Calif.) was a former prep All-American.

The squad's four true freshman newcomers include defensive specialist Jacqueline Hutcheson (Exeter, Calif.), middle blocker Lauren Torres (Visalia, Calif.) and outside hitters Taylor Brubaker (San Clemente, Calif.) and Carly Scarbrough (Sarasota, Fla.).

GET YOUR TICKETS
Fans can take advantage of a new Family Flex Plan home-match ticket package for only $79. The four-person season ticket package gives the flexibility to exchange tickets in any combination of quantity and matches. That means four people can come to all 10 home matches, 40 people to one match, or other combinations adding up to 40 tickets for the season. Altogether, the deal works out to less than $2 per ticket / per person.

Fresno State students get in free to any match with a valid student ID, and other single-match prices follow: • Adult General Admission $6; Youth/Senior Citizen $4; Groups (10 or more arranged in advance) $3 per ticket.

Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online (or via the ticket link at the top of the page), or can call 559-278-3647 or visit the Bulldog Ticket Office at the Save Mart Center on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

HEAD OF THE CLASS
Team-wise this past summer, the `Dogs received the American Volleyball Coaches (AVCA) Academic Team Award for the fifth straight season for their combined +3.30 grade point average for the academic year. Fresno State was the only Mountain West Conference team and one of five from California of the 109 NCAA Division 1 programs honored nationally (with Pacific, Stanford, San Francisco and St. Mary's).

Individually last fall, the `Dogs' 13-person roster led the league in Academic All-MW accolades as 12 players maintained a +3.0 minimum GPA in the fall and played in 50 percent of the contests.

All-MW choice and senior outside hitter Marissa Brand was equally up to par with her third straight Capital One Academic All-District 8 honor. The Cypress, Calif., native won her first honor in 2011 with teammate Cecilia Agraz - the latter being the first two-time honoree in the program history (2011, 1st Team; 2010, 2nd Team) and the Bulldogs' first Academic All-American (2011).

GOLDEN STATE PRIDE
With 11 of the team's 14 players from California, it's again easy to spot a large cheering section of family and friends at `Dog matches this year.

Four Bulldogs live within two hours of Fresno - freshman middle blocker Lauren Torres (Visalia, 43 miles) and defensive specialist Jacqueline Hutcheson (Exeter, 54 miles), redshirt freshman outside hitter Haylee Roberts (80 miles) and senior middle blocker Maci Murdock (Turlock, 88 miles),

Seven other `Dogs are from the area and within 300 miles - sophomore libero Maggie Eppright (San Luis Obispo, 138), senior middle blocker Katie Pearson & redshirt junior right side hitter Molly Pearson (San Jose, 152), senior libero Christina Lee (San Francisco, 188), junior outside hitter Zana Bowens (Long Beach, 242), sophomore setter Brooke Legaux (Mission Viejo, 266) and freshman outside hitter Taylor Brubaker (280 miles).

The team's 12th, 13th and 14th members - freshman Carly Scarbrough (Sarasota, Fla.), senior outside hitter Jaimee-Lee Morrow and junior setter Jelena Jovanovic - unfortunately ruin the team average. Jovanovic's home in Belgrade is approximately 6,275 miles from Fresno, and Morrow's home in Mooroolbark, Australia (pron. MERL-bark, and located near Melbourne) is 7,968 miles away.

PRESEASON POLL BUSTER
With an eighth-place pick in the 2014 MW Preseason Poll, the `Dogs will look to match or better their preseason pick for the sixth time since 2008 under Netherby-Sewell.

Fresno State also achieved the feat in `13 (preseason - sixth / final - fourth), `12 fourth / fourth), `11 (fifth / fourth),'09 (sixth / fourth) and `08 (eighth / eighth).

In mid-August's poll, last year's conference champion Colorado State led with 97 points, and received seven of the 11 first-place votes. New Mexico followed in second place with 91 points, and received the other four first-place votes.

NEWCOMER PROFILES
This fall, the `Dogs have welcomed four freshmen and two transfers to ease the loss five seniors after the 2013 campaign.

Junior setter Jelena Jovanovic (Belgrade, Serbia) started the 2012 and `13 seasons at Florida Atlantic, and the former team captain played all 56 of the team's matches the two years combined. Last year, she averaged 9.32 assists per set, and ranked second on the team and 18th in the Conference USA in aces (0.22 p/s). As a freshman, she led the team in both categories (9.11 assists / 0.29 aces per set) en route to sixth-place rankings in the Sun Belt Conference in each at season's end.

Redshirt freshman Haylee Roberts (Bakersfield, Calif.) originally signed with Oregon as a prep senior but did not play for the Ducks in 2013. As a prep, the three-time All-Area pick was an All-Area MVP for Liberty High School as a senior in 2012. A Prep Volleyball Senior Ace nominee, she was also accorded Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 and Under Armour All-America Honorable mention status.

Freshman Taylor Brubaker, a 6-0 outside hitter, helped lead San Clemente High School to a league title and runner-up finish in 2011 and 2013, respectively, and CIF third- and second-round placings. A captain her senior year, the three-time letterwinner was the team's most dominant outside hitter winner in 2012, and a Regional High Performance Team selection in 2010.

Freshman Carly Scarbrough, a 6-1 outside hitter, was a key member of Riverview High School squads that claimed a league title and runner-up finish. The four-year letterwinner was a team captain, MVP and all-area team choice in 2012. She also was a Florida Indoor High Performance selection in 2011 and `12 and Team USA Indoor High Performance selection in 2012.

Freshman Lauren Torres, a 6-0 middle blocker, helped lead her El Diamante High School team to three West Yosemite League titles, a D-II championship and runner-up finish, and 102-22 record. The team captain also picked up Best Defensive Player, Coaches Award and Most Improved honors during her career, and became the first Miner to receive a Division 1 volleyball scholarship.

Freshman Jacqueline Hutcheson, a 5-5 defensive specialist, was a three-time Central Sequoia All-League choice, three-time All-Tulare County honoree and All-Central Section Elite Senior selection at setter for nearby Exeter High School. In club action, she played four years in the power league, and her Central Cal 17-1 Gold squad placed fifth in the 2013 Junior National Championships.

DOUBLE YOUR FUN
Bulldog fans and foes are again seeing double this season with the squad sporting a pair of strikingly similar faces in the front row - senior middle blocker Katie Pearson and redshirt junior right side hitter Molly Pearson. The identical twins matriculated from Presentation High School in San Jose, and played 20 and 18 matches last season.

A redshirt junior and starter in six matches in 2013, Molly posted a team season high in blocks vs. Utah State (9), and career highs in kills (7) vs. Belmont and hitting vs. Xavier (.857). Katie, a senior, posted career highs in 12 starts in October and November 2013 vs. Air Force (.500, 5 kills, 4 aces, 9 points, 5 digs), New Mexico (5 blocks), SJSU (5 kills, .500) and Nevada (5 blocks). As preps, the duo helped their Presentation team to a fifth-place MaxPreps.com national finish and a spot in the NorCal Division II finals.

2013 SEASON WRAP-UP
Last year, the Fresno State volleyball team (17-15, 11-9) capped its second season of Mountain West play with its first pair of back-to-back winning seasons since 2003 and `04, and tied for fourth place in the MW Conference - two places better than its MW Preseason Coaches Poll position.

The `Dogs featured one of its greatest senior classes, led by 2013 All-MW outside hitters Marissa Brand and Korrin Wild and MW Newcomer of the Year and right side hitter Holly Franks.

The talented squad was also one of its most balanced as 12 of the 13 players on the roster at season's end played at least 18 matches, and all three newcomers played key roles. Then-senior right side hitter and transfer Holly Franks was selected as the MW Newcomer of the Year; freshman libero Maggie Eppright sported the MW's top digs per set average among underclassmen (3.40 p/s); and freshman setter Brooke Legaux played the final 18 matches of the year as the team unveiled a 6-2 offense.

NOTABLE BULLDOG CAREER STATS

CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Christina Lee (12-2013 / 2-2011) - Senior, L
9/13/13 vs. Belmont, 5s (57 assists, 13 digs)
9/14/13 vs. CSUB, 3s (27 assists, 14 digs)
9/14/13 vs. #20 Oregon, 3s (30 assists, 10 digs)
9/21/13 at UC Irvine, 4s (51 assists, 17 digs)
9/26/13 vs. Utah State, 4s (50 assists, 13 digs)
9/28/13 vs. Boise St., 5s (57 assists, 19 digs)
10/3/13 at San Diego St., 4s (35 assists, 10 digs)
10/19/13 vs. USAFA, 4s (40 assists, 18 digs)
11/1/13 at SJSU, 5s (35 assists, 10 digs)
11/7/13 vs. UNLV (35 assists, 16 digs)
11/9/13 vs. SDSU (41 assists, 14 digs)
11/25/13 vs. Wyoming (37 assists, 12 digs)
8/26/11 vs. Cal Poly, 5s (26 assists,12 digs)
9/16/11 at UNLV, 5s (29 assists, 3 digs)

Zana Bowens (6-2014 / 2 -2013) - Junior, OH
8/30/14 vs. UC Davis, 5s (15 kills, 20 digs)
8/30/14 at Rice, 3s (16 kills, 10 digs)
9/5/14 at Sac. State, 5s (19 kills, 11 digs)
9/10/14 at LIUB, 4s (12 kills, 21 digs)
9/12/14 St. Francis, 3s (13 kills, 13 digs)
9/13/14 New Hampshire, 4s (13 kills, 14 digs)
9/27/14 at SDSU, 4s (18 kills, 21 digs)
8/31/13 vs. Santa Clara, 5s (20 kills, 12 digs)
9/21/13 at UC Irvine, 4s (17 kills, 15 digs)
9/27/14 at SDSU, 4s (18 kills, 21 digs) 10/2/14 Nevada, 5s (15 kills, 19 digs) 10/23/14 SDSU 4s (13 kills, 12 digs)

Jelena Jovanovic (4-2014) - Junior, S
8/29/14 vs. La. Lafayette, 4s (36 assists, 13 digs)
8/30/14 vs. UC Davis, 5s (43 assists, 16 digs)
9/13/14 vs. New Hamp., 4s (46 assists, 17 digs)
9/13/14 at St. John's, 4s (40 assists, 11 digs)
10/25/14 vs. UNLV, 4s (28 assists, 14 digs)

HREF="http://www.gobulldogs.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/brooke_legaux_858476.html">Brooke Legaux

(2-2014) - Sophomore, S
9/6/14 vs. UCSB, 4s (38 assists, 12 digs)
9/10/14 at LIUB, 4s (27 assists, 11 digs)

+20 KILLS

Zana Bowens
21 - 5s, vs. Rice, 8/30/13
20 - 5s, vs. Santa Clara, 8/31/13

+4 ACES

Zana Bowens
5 - 4s, vs. UCSB, 9/6/14
4 - 4s, vs. New Hampshire, 9/13/14

Jacque Hutcheson
4 - 4s, vs. N.Hamp., 9/13/14

Katie Pearson
4 - 4s, vs. USAFA, 10/19/13

+50 ASSISTS

Christina Lee
57 - 5s, vs. Boise State, 9/28/13
57 - 5s, vs. Belmont, 9/13/13
51 - 4s, vs. UC Irvine, 9/21/13
50 - 4s, vs. Utah State, 9/26/13

Brooke Legaux
51 - 5s, at Sac. State, 9/5/14

+8 BLOCKS

Molly Pearson
9 - 4s, vs.Utah State, 9/26/13

Maci Murdock
10 - 5s, at UTEP, 8/24/12
8 - 5s, v. Boise State, 9/28/13

+25 DIGS

Maggie Eppright
28 - 4s, vs. Utah St., 9/26/13
27 - 4s, at UC Irvine, 9/21/13

Christina Lee
34 - 5s, vs. Sac. St., 9/7/12
34 - 5s, vs. Wyoming, 10/13/12
28 - 5s, vs. UCSB, 9/15/12
27 - 5s, vs. Santa Clara, 8/31/13
27 - 4s, Utah State, 10/13/11

AROUND THE MOUNTAIN WEST

2014 MW STANDINGS (10/28)

Team             MW      %    Season     %#7 Colorado St. 10-0    1.000   22-1    .957UNLV    7-2 .778    19-5    .792Wyoming 7-3 .700    18-5    783New Mexico  6-4 .600    14-9    .609San Diego State 5-4 .556    9-10    .474Boise State 5-5 .500    12-10   .545Air Force   5-5 .500    11-13   .450Utah State  5-5 .500    9-11    .450Nevada  2-7 .222    5-14    .263Fresno State    1-9 .100    6-18    .250San Jose State  0-9 .000    3-19    .136UPCOMING MW ACTION

Thursday, October 30
#7 CSU at SDSU*, 6 p.m. PT (MWN)
FRESNO STATE at SJSU*, 6 p.m. PT (MWN)
WYOMING at UNLV*, 6 p.m. PT (MWN)
AIR FORCE at USU*, 7 p.m. MT (MWN)
NEW MEXICO at BSU*, 7 p.m. MT (MWN)

Saturday, October 25
FRESNO ST. at NEVADA*, 1 p.m. PT (MWN)
WYOMING at SAN DIEGO STATE*, 1 p.m. PT
AIR FORCE at BSU*, 2 p.m. MT(MWA)
NEW MEXICO at USU*, 7 p.m. MT (MWN)
#6 CSU at UNLV*, 7 p.m. PT (MWN)

MW Network is available at TheMW.com
*Mountain West match
Mountain West teams in ALL CAPS

LAST WEEK'S MW RESULTS

Saturday, October 25
#6 COLORADO STATE def. UTAH STATE, 3-0*
AIR FORCE def. NEVADA, 3-1*
NEW MEXICO def. SAN JOSÉ STATE, 3-1*
WYOMING def. BOISE STATE, 3-2*
UNLV def. FRESNO STATE, 3-1*

Thursday, October 23
AIR FORCE def. SAN JOSÉ STATE, 3-1*
#6 CSU def. BOISE STATE, 3-0*
NEW MEXICO def. NEVADA, 3-1*
WYOMING def. UTAH STATE, 3-1*
SAN DIEGO STATE def. FRESNO STATE, 3-1*

Monday, October 20
UNLV def. SAN DIEGO STATE, 3-0*
NEW MEXICO def. New Mexico State, 3-0

2014 PRESEASON COACHES POLL

1. Colorado St. (7), 97   7. UNLV, 502. New Mexico (4), 91     8. Fresno St., 403. Utah State, 81         9. Air Force, 314. San Diego State, 73   10. SJSU, 215. Wyoming, 55           11. Nevada, 126. Boise State, 54

2014 PRESEASON ALL-MW TEAM
Adrianna Culbert, Jr., OPP, CSU
Kelsey Snider, Sr., MB, CSU
Chantale Riddle, Sr., OPP, UNM
Elle Brainard, Jr., OPP, US
Erin Kirby, Sr., MB, WY

Preseason POY: Chantale Riddle, Sr., OPP, UNM
Preseason Setter of Year: Deedra Foss, Sr., S, CSU
Preseason Libero of Year: Allison Davies, Sr., UNLV

2014 AVCA POLL #7 (10/13)

Rk.    Team (1st Pl.)    Pts     Rec. Prev.1   Stanford (59)   1499    20-0    12   Washington (1)  1439    21-0    33   Florida State   1361    21-0    44   Wisconsin   1301    18-2    55   Texas   1243    15-1    26   Penn State  1191    20-3    77   Colorado State* 1140    22-1    68   Florida 1090    16-3    89   North Carolina  1003    17-2    910  Illinois    961 16-5    1011  BYU 880 18-3    1212  Oregon  782 16-4    1113  Purdue  778 18-4    1314  Nebraska    700 12-7    1415  Arizona 632 17-5    1516  UCLA    597 15-6    1717  Ohio State  468 16-6    2018  Kentucky    455 18-4    1619  Arizona State   416 15-7    1820  Southern        377 12-8    19        California21  Duke    289 16-4    2122  Kansas State    220 19-3    2223  Texas A&M   191 14-6    2424  Long Beach      156 18-4    23        State*25  Oklahoma    116 15-6    NR

Others receiving votes: Colorado 78; *Loyola Marymount 62; Oklahoma 45; San Diego 16; Pittsburgh 12; UCF 10; Pacific 7; Western Kentucky 3;

(*=FS opponents in 2014)

BULLDOG VOLLEYBALL MEDIA
KSEE (NBC): www.YourCentralValleyHome.com
KFSN (ABC): http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn
KMPH (Fox): www.KMPH.com
Fresno Bee: www.FresnoBee.com
Daily Collegian: collegian.csufresno.edu
ESPN2 Radio: www.1430espn.com/790
MORE ONLINE INFO
Fresno State Volleyball Twitter: @FresnoStateVB
NCAA: www.ncaasports.com
NCAA RPI: http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/volleyball-women/d1/ncaa_womens_volleyball_rpi
NCAA Playing Rules: https://www.ncaapublications.com/p-4321-2014-and-2015-volleyball-rules.aspx
NCAA Championships Handbooks: http://www.ncaapublications.com/
NCAA Record Books: http://www.ncaa.org/championships/statistics/ncaa-softball-records-books
Mountain West Conference: www.theMWC.com
Federation International Volleyball: www.FIVB.org
USA Volleyball: www.USAvolleyball.com
American VB Coaches Assoc.: www.avca.org
Volleyball Magazine: www.volleyballmag.com
Rich Kern VB Page: www.richkern.com