Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
UNLV
`Dogs Open Conference Play at Rebels
9/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
LAS VEGAS - The Fresno State volleyball team (5-10, 0-1) opened its third season of Mountain West Conference play at UNLV (13-3, 1-0) Thursday evening at Cox Pavilion.
Playing its 15th match of the season on the road, the road-tested `Dogs were edged by 25-11, 25-18 and 25-17 scores by the Runnin' Rebels who staked their sixth straight win.
Senior middle blocker Murdock paced the `Dogs in kills (8) for the second straight time this week and also topped the team in hitting (.429) with the team's fifth-best mark of the season.
With her two block assists, the Turlock, Calif., native also moved up a spot on the Fresno State all-time career list to fourth place (302), just ahead of former all-conference and all-region selection Suzie Regul (30, 1989-921).
The outside hitter pair of junior Zana Bowens and Carly Scarbrough added seven and six kills, respectively, and Bowens landed an ace for the team-leading 24th time this season. The Long Beach, Calif., native Bowens entered the week ranked fourth in the conference in aces and 48th nationally with a 0.48 per set average.
Other Bulldog statistical leaders included redshirt junior Molly Pearson (2 blocks), sophomore setter Brooke Legaux (25 assists) and libero Maggie Eppright (10 digs) and freshman defensive specialist Jacqueline Hutcheson (1 ace).
For the home squad, UNLV's Alyssa Wing led in kills (9) and hitting (.562), and other category toppers included Alexis Patterson (26 assists, 2 aces), Allison Davies (18), Bree Hammel (6 blocks), Ceannia Kincade (2 aces) and Daryn Glenn (2 aces).
Team-wise, UNLV owned edges in (.349-.079), kills (39-30), assists (34-25), digs (45-35), aces (7-2), fewest service errors (4-5) and blocks (13-3)
In the first set, the Rebels jumped out to a 9-0 advantage before Scarbrough answered with three of her five kills in the set in a four-play span to pull Fresno State within, 10-4. A pair of Bulldog back-to-back points later made the score 17-7 and 21-10 as UNLV took the first set, 25-11.
In the second set the Rebels pushed out to a 9-5 edge, but Fresno State used a 8-2 response that included a Torres stuff kill and block with Molly Pearson to stake a 13-11 lead. A pair of Bowens kills fueled another 4-2 push to move the `Dogs ahead, 17-13, but a 9-0 UNLV counter reversed the lead in their favor, 22-17, en route to a 25-18 victory.
After the Rebels took a 7-3 lead early in the third set, a pair of Bowens kills helped Fresno State pull within, 9-8. However, UNLV followed with seven unanswered points to go up 16-8 before slowed by a Molly Pearson kill and Bowens ace. Fresno State later combined on a 6-2 run that featured a pair of kills each from Murdock and Bowens before the Rebels claimed the set, 25-17.
Fresno State is now 1-1 on the week after it swept cross-town rival Fresno Pacific in an exhibition match on Tuesday. Murdock posted 15 kills and four blocks and hit .464 vs. the Sunbirds, while Bowens and Scarbrough added 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
Looking ahead, Fresno State caps the road trip with a 1 p.m. match at San Diego State (4-6, 0-0) Saturday at 1 p.m.
"Be Bold!" - Watch every Bulldog conference match online at www.GoBulldogs.com/videos.
