Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
New Mexico
Senior Class Leaves Victorious
11/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Dayna Hill
GoBulldogs.com
daynah@csufresno.edu
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State women's volleyball team ended their season with a victory over the Mountain West's fourth ranked New Mexico Lobos.
The Bulldogs claimed the first, fourth and fifth sets 25-18, 25-22, and 16-14 to win the match. The Lobos were able to push set two into extra points winning 26-24 and winning set three 25-22.
Team-wise, the Bulldogs ended with match advantages in kills (78-61), assists (74-59), digs (51-47) and service aces (10-5). UNM lead in hitting (.338,-.329), blocks (12.5-5) and committed fewer service errors (7-10).
"What a great way to end the season for our seniors," Fresno State head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell said. "We have had such and up and down season and it was a great that these ladies could go out with a win. It is huge to finish with a win against a great team that is pretty high up in the Mountain West rankings."
Junior outside hitter Zana Bowens led the team in kills (18) and points (19.5) and also landed the match winning kill in set five. The captain was one of four Bulldogs with double-digit kill figures with senior middle blocker Maci Murdock (16), freshman Carly Scarbrough (16) and senior Jaimee-Lee Morrow (13).
Senior Christina Lee, started on senior night and played libero, tallying a team leading 20 digs. Bowens also added 10 digs on the night and had the most digs of any non-libero on the team.
Junior setter Jelena Jovanovic led the team in assists with 41 while sophomore setter Brooke Legaux provided 29 assists and 6 digs.
"I really proud of how this team fought," Netherby-Sewell said. "I am happy that they never gave up, no matter the situation this team just kept fighting. The great thing about this season is a lot of our freshman got a lot of playing time. Carly Scarbrough really came up big tonight for us. Her blocks, big attacks and energy have been helpful for this team."
Scarbrough added 18.5 points to the match, the second most on the team.
For the Lobos, the current MW leader in kills - Chantale Riddle - led the column (21) and was joined in double digits by Cassie House (14, .175), Simone Henderson (11, .529), Devanne Sours (11, .417). Riddle also led the column in digs with 14.
Other UNM category leaders included Hannah Johnson (54 assists), Julia Warren (2 aces) and Skye Gullatt (4 block assists).
In the first set, UNM scored the first points of the match. Neither team went on a run of more than two points until the `Dogs went up 22-18 on a kill by Scarbrough. The `Dogs were able to hold the Lobos to 18 points thanks to kills by Scarbrough, Murdock and Bowens to end the set 25-18.
In the second set, there were 12 tied scores, the most of the match and five lead changes. The `Dogs were down 4-1 early on in the set, but fought back to get within one point, 5-6 from a Murdock kill. The `Dogs would go down by as many as four points throughout the set. Fresno State held off a NMU set point, with a kill from Murdock, making the score 22-24. An ace from Legaux and a kill by Bowens tied the score at 24. Despite having to go to extra points, the `Dogs fell 24-26.
In the third set, the `Dogs started on a 2-0 run over UNM. After a series of back and forth scoring, the score was tied at 12. UNM was able to go on a 3-0 run, before a kill by Murdock gave the `Dogs some much needed momentum. The `Dogs were able to tie the score again at 16, but couldn't take over the lead. UNM kept control of the scoreboard with big kills from Riddle and a strong defense. The Lobos took set three by three points 25-22.
In the fourth set, both teams consistently traded points until UNM went on a 5-0 run to take the lead 9-7. The `Dogs were able to tie the score at 11, before going on their own run of points. Fresno State responded with their own 5-0 run in the middle of the set taking a 14-11 lead. The Lobos would get as close as two points in the set, but ultimately fell, 25-22.
In the fifth set, Fresno State jumped out to a 6-3 lead, and beat the Lobos to eight. Once the teams switched sides, the Lobos fought back to tie the score at 11 and then again at 13. A Murdock kill put the `Dogs up 14-13, before the Lobos responded with a kill and tied the score again at 14. A Morrow kill, followed by a Bowens kill helped the `Dogs win the set and the match, 16-14.
Be Bold- Thank you Red Wave for following your Bulldog volleyball team during the 2014 season!
