Fresno State Athletics
'Dogs Approach Round Two of Conference
10/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By: Kimberly Fisher
kimfisher@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Fresno State vs. UNLV -- 7 p.m.
Location: Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
Coverage: Live Video, Live Stats, ESPN Radio
Saturday, Oct. 24
Fresno State vs. San Jose State -- 12 p.m.
Location: San Jose, Calif. (Spartan Gym)
Coverage: Live Video, Live Stats
Bulldog Outlook
The Fresno State volleyball team is coming off a 1-1 weekend record on the road last week, competing in a pair of three-set matches against New Mexico and Air Force. On Thursday, the `Dogs faced the Lobos in Albuquerque, N.M., falling 3-0 before traveling to Colorado Springs, Colo. The Bulldogs swept Air Force on Saturday to close out the fourth week of conference play.
This week, Fresno State returns to the Save Mart Center on Tuesday, Oct. 20 to host UNLV at 7 p.m., prior to taking on San Jose State on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Spartan Gym. The Bulldogs moved up to sixth in the weekly Mountain West standings, currently two rankings behind UNLV and ahead of San Jose State by one.
Non-conference action included a 2-1 opening weekend record at the Catamount Classic in Cullowhee, N.C. Fresno State fell 3-2 against Cal Poly during a thrilling home opener (Sept. 1), prior to tallying a 1-2 mark at the Saint Mary's Invitational. For the first time under Netherby-Sewell, the `Dogs hosted back-to-back tournaments that included a second place finish at the Bulldog Invitational (3-1), before claiming first at the Fresno State Classic (2-1).
About the `Dogs
Currently in her eighth season at the helm of the Bulldog volleyball program, Netherby-Sewell captured her 100th victory on Oct. 1 over the Aggies in Logan, Utah. The San Clemente, Calif., native has compiled a 102-124 record at Fresno State and owns a 146-146 overall mark after a two-year stint as the head coach at Hofstra (43-19, 26-6 CAA). Netherby-Sewell has inspired record crowds and developed a team focused on fundamentals and primed to excel as she continues to lead a traditionally strong program.
The `Dogs 15-person roster includes 10 California natives, six Central Valley athletes, one Florida local and three members from abroad. The `Dogs added seven freshmen and one junior transfer with a high talent level and eagerness to make an impact during the 2015 season. The team strives by its mantra of outworking, outthinking and outplaying all opponents while displaying integrity, discipline, loyalty, courageousness, hard work and vigor.
Overall offensively, sophomore outside hitter Carly Scarbrough continues to lead the team with a .295 hitting percentage and 229 kills (2.94 p/s) while senior Zana Bowens owns the team-high of 231 kills (2.96 p/s), as one of three Bulldogs who have reached 200 or more kills this season. Setter Brooke Legaux paces the `Dogs with 616 assists over 72 sets with senior Jelena Jovanovic trailing with a second-best of 180 in exactly half of the sets played this season (32). The duo combines for 84 unassisted kills, averaging approximately 0.75 per set.
Defensive standout, Maggie Eppright has personally accounted for 387 of the team's 1,154 digs over 78 sets, averaging 4.96 per set, with 13 aces at the service line and a third-best 46 assists. At the net, Scarbrough has a high of 60 total blocks as sophomore middle block Lauren Torres is shy by only two (58). Over a 21-game span, Fresno State has compiled 157.5 total blocks with five Bulldogs tying with four block solos -- Scarbrough, Torres, Bowen, Aleisha Coates and Taylor Slover.
Seven matches into the regular season, Scarbrough accounts for an offensive team-high of 91 kills with 19 blocks within 28 sets, while Bowens has a second-best 90 kills and 57 digs. Additionally, Eppright, Coates and defensive specialist Jacqueline Hutcheson tie with seven aces at the service line while only 14 assists separate Jovanovic and Legaux at setter.
Scouting the Rebels
UNLV has seen three conference defeats in seven games, with a season record of 11-8. The Rebels are 1-5 in away matches with all three Mountain West losses coming on the road. The Rebels are coming off a 0-2 weekend, falling to Air Force (3-0) in Colorado Springs and New Mexico (3-1) in Albuquerque, N.M.
The Rebels hold the all-time record of 7-5 over the `Dogs, with three consecutive victories since 2013. Last season, Fresno State was defeated in seven combined sets over two matches and last topped UNLV in October of 2013 with a three-set sweep on the road. The two programs have consistently faced off for the past four years with five additional matches coming between 1996 and 2004.
Scouting the Spartans
San Jose State sports an 11-10 overall record and is 3-5 in conference play, with only two regular season victories at Spartan Gym. Earlier this season, Fresno State competed against the Spartans in a five-set Mountain West opener on Sept. 24, ending in a 3-2 decision in San Jose State's favor. Over the weekend, the Spartans hosted Wyoming and No. 21 Colorado State while logging a five-set upset over the Cowgirls on Thursday.
Since 1973, the Bulldogs and Spartans have competed in 79 matches with 29 coming in the last 14 years. San Jose State owns an all-time mark of 47-32 over Fresno State, after splitting 1-1 during the 2014 season. Since joining the league in 2013, the Bulldogs have claimed a near perfect record of 3-1 versus the Spartans with the lone loss coming in the most recent match on the road.
Stay Tuned
This season, all home matches are featured live on the Mountain West Network , while ESPN Radio is set to broadcast four of the Bulldogs six reaming home games live on the 790 AM "The Deuce," with Christian Lukens as the host - UNLV (Oct. 20), Boise State (Oct. 29), Air Force (Nov. 12) and Wyoming (Nov. 18).
Live stat feeds of all home matches can be found on GameTracker or StatBroadcast, and fans can stay updated via social media through Fresno State volleyball's Twitter, Facebook or Instagram accounts.
Home Game Promotions
Adaptive Sports and Fresno Fair Night will be held at the Save Mart Center on Tuesday starting at 7 p.m. Fans with a used Fresno Fair ticket will receive free admission as the `Dogs look to highlight the exceptional adaptive sport programs that Valley Children's Hospital offers.
Conference Standings
This week, No. 21 Colorado State continues to pace the league as Boise State moved from fourth to second, and Wyoming dropped to a season low of third within the 11-team playing field. Following a second place standing last week, UNLV fell to fourth while New Mexico made its way into the top half at fifth, one play ahead of Fresno State. The lower half of the standings are rounded out with San Jose State, Nevada, San Diego State, Air Force and Utah State remains last.
The `Dogs gain the home court advantage for exactly half of the 18-conference games, facing all 10 Mountain West opponents twice, excluding Wyoming and defending Champion Colorado State. The results of the regular season will determine which teams advance to the first round of NCAA postseason play starting the first weekend in December.
'Dogs in the MW
Individually, Bulldog libero Maggie Eppright owns a conference-high of 387 digs (4.96 p/s) while setter Brooke Legaux has consistently remained fifth in assists (616, 8.56 p/s). Outside hitter Zana Bowens ranks ninth in kills (231) and Carly Scarbrough remains 10th with 229 kills. From the service line, Coates holds a 10th place standing among conference competitors with 22 aces and a 0.29 per set average.
In Mountain West play only, Eppright has a third-best of 105 digs, Scarbrough is sixth with 91 kills, Legaux ranks seventh for 148 assists and Bowens is six with nine service aces and 102 points, while Coates moves into the regular season standings at 10th in aces (7) over 28 sets.
Team wise, the Bulldogs are a top three conference leader in overall assists (944), kills (1062) and digs (1154). In regular season games only, Fresno State is positioned in the top half of this week's standings within three categories -- service aces (36), kills (377) and assists (339).
Double Trouble
Of the 40 Mountain West competitors who have posted double-doubles, Zana Bowens and fellow outside hitter Aleisha Coates combine for 15 on the season while Brooke Legaux earned her first against Southern Utah with 11 digs and 36 assists.
Bowens currently stands third in the league, only one shy of the category leader in double-doubles. Of her nine double-doubles, five have come at home versus Cal Poly (17 kills, 11 digs), Cal State Fullerton (11 kills, 11 digs), Sacramento State (12 kills, 16 digs), Portland (11 kills, 12 digs) and most recently Air Force (13 kills, 13 digs).
Coates places among the top ten with six double-doubles and one coming during the regular season against San Jose State. The junior transfer logged her first Bulldog double-double against Georgia State at the Catamount Classic and tacked on an additional pair at both the Bulldog Showdown and Fresno State Classic, recording a high of 20 kills and 14 digs against the Pilots at home on Sept. 18.
National Rankings
The second RPI ranking of the 2015 season was released on Monday, Oct. 12 as Fresno State ranks No. 177 on a national platform, ahead of three Mountain West programs -- Air Force (No. 194), Utah State (No. 195), and San Jose State (No. 238). Last year, Fresno State concluded the 2014 season with a 226 RPI.
For the third consecutive week, libero Maggie Eppright, setter Brooke Legaux and senior outside hitter Zana Bowens have remained in the NCAA national rankings. As of Oct. 12, Eppright moved up in both digs per set and total digs while garnering the team's highest ranking of No. 27, compared to last week's No. 31.
Brooke Legaux -- No. 129 total assists (592)
Zana Bowens --T No. 126 total attacks (667)
Maggie Eppright -- No. 30 digs per set (4.99), T No. 27 total digs (359)
Top 100 Team Rankings
No. 50 -- Kills (972)
No. 67 -- Total Attacks (2596)
No. 72 -- Attacks per set (36.06)
No. 74 -- Kills per set (13.50)
No. 88 -- Assists (861)
No. 97 -- Digs (1075)
Fighting Spirit Award
The Fighting Spirit Award was introduced to the Fresno State volleyball program by Netherby-Sewell in 2008. The award originated at Hofstra by Hall of Fame coach Fran Kalafer, and is presented to the individual or team who best defeats adversity each week and collectively at the season's end.
2015 Honors:
Western Carolina Tournament: Maggie Eppright, Zana Bowens
Cal Poly (home opener): Maggie Eppright, Carly Scarbrough, Brooke Legaux
Saint Mary's Tournament: Maggie Eppright, Carly Scarbrough, Jacqueline Hutcheson
Bulldog Showdown: Carly Scarbrough, Aleisha Coates
Fresno State Classic: Maggie Eppright, Taylor Slover, Carly Scarbrough, Jacqueline Hutcheson
Conference Week One: None
Conference - Week Two: Entire Team
Conference - Week Three: Jelena Jovanovic, Sabrina Winslow, Zana Bowens
Conference - Week Four: Jacqueline Hutcheson, Gertu Vider, Aleisha Coates, Zana Bowens, Maggie Eppright
"We played so well as a team against Nevada and enjoyed a thrilling comeback against the Aztecs due to the perseverance of players like Jelena, Sabrina and Zana," Netherby-Sewell said. "We had another weekend grind of a match and then a solid team win. Fighting spirit is about strength in the midst of adversity, and we faced a lot of adversity in our travel to New Mexico. The team as a whole had great spirit - they went with the flow and didn't complain. However, Jacqueline, Gertu, Aleisha, Zana and Maggie played tough, aggressive and remained positive consistently in both matches - no matter the score."
Past season recipients include Allanah Munson and Baylee Platt (2008), Kelly Mason (2010), Korrin Wild (2012), Zana Bowens(2014) and the entire team in 2009, 2011 and 2013.
Adopting the Bulldog Way
Poised with a competitive nature and eager to adopt the Bulldog culture, this season's incoming class boasts height, speed, ability and power. Junior transfer Aleisha Coates has competed in all but one set over 20 matches while serving as one of only three Bulldogs with 200 or more total kills. Coates leads the eight newcomers averaging 2.87 kills per set with 258 total points. Among the seven-person freshmen class, Taylor Slover has competed in a high of 63 sets as a Bulldog middle blocker, recording the third-highest block total (47) and a fifth-best 94 kills, averaging 1.49 per set.
In a short span of three weeks, Gertu Vider made her first appearance on the court and earned her first collegiate start against Boise State on Oct. 3., helping Fresno State to 16 kills, 14 blocks and two aces in a 19-set showing. Fellow middle blocker Jordyn Griggs has hit .207 in 32 sets played with 37 kills, three service aces and 26 total blocks. Additional newcomer contributors include Sabrina Winslow who recently earned her first collegiate start on Thursday against New Mexico and has 25 kills, 18 digs and a pair of blocks on the season, along with Brielle Hefner with four kills and three blocks over 13 sets.
Career Milestones
Sophomores Jacqueline Hutcheson, Lauren Torres and Carly Scarbrough, junior setter Brooke Legaux and seniors Zana Bowens and Jelena Jovanovic have reset various personal career game-highs in the past 21 games played during the 2015 season.
Hutcheson: 2 kills vs. Bethune Cookman (Sept. 5), 18 digs vs. Portland (Sept. 18), 6 assists vs. UC Davis (Sept. 19)
Torres: .636 hitting percentage vs. SJSU (Sept. 24), 8 blocks vs. Georgia State (Aug. 29)
Jovanovic: 7 kills, 2x (last Oct. 10), 4 blocks vs. Utah State (Oct. 1)
Scarbrough: 22 kills vs. Boise State (Oct. 3)
Legaux: 7 kills vs. Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 11), 4 blocks vs. Cal Poly (Sept. 1)
Bowens: 5 assists, 2x (last Sept. 19)
Red Wave Appreciation
Averaging nearly 1,000 fans per game, the Red Wave continues to positively contribute to Fresno State's home court success by continuing to create a difficult atmosphere for incoming teams to thrive in. The combination of the crowd's impact and the band's contribution makes for a memorable home game experience.
This season, Fresno State has consistently averaged nearly 600 fans per game at the Save Mart Center. The 2015 season-high attendance figure (898) came against Nevada on Oct. 8.
For ticket information and prices visit, Volleyball Tickets.
2015 All-Tournament Honors
Western Carolina Tournament (Aug. 29) -- Maggie Eppright, Brooke Leguax
Bulldog Showdown (Sept. 12) -- Carly Scarbrough, Aleisha Coates
Fresno State Classic (Sept. 19) -- Maggie Eppright, Carly Scarbrough (MVP)
Coaching Staff Additions
In addition to the newcomers, the Bulldog volleyball team welcomed a new assistant coach to the fold in February of 2015. Sarah Chlebana joins assistant coach Joe Skinner under Netherby-Sewell, heavily equipped with experience and knowledge of the game. A Calgary, Alberta native, Chlebana has previous experience as a trainer, mentor, recruiting coordinator and director of operations as well as being seasoned on the floor after serving seven years as an assistant coach at Sacramento State. Skinner enters his second season as a Bulldog assistant coach after joining the staff in 2013. The Roseville, Calif., local served for seven years at Oregon prior to Fresno State, helping the Ducks to a NCAA and Pac-12 runner-up finish.
Seasoned Returners
Some of the youngest players on the team are heading into the new season with valuable experience and knowledge gained early in their Bulldog careers. This year's returning lineup includes two seniors, two juniors and three sophomores, all of which competed in over half of the 119 sets played last season.
Top returning outside hitter Zana Bowens led the team starting in all 32 matches her junior year while being named an all-time single-match leader. Sophomore Carly Scarbrough reset the freshman record of 115 sets played while junior libero, Maggie Eppright earned a No. 4 spot on the all-time career list for averaging 3.44 digs per set last season.
New to the Fold
Constructing an even younger squad than last year, the `Dogs embrace the physicality that the newcomers will contribute on top of the mental game and overall effort put forth to make Fresno State's presence known on the court this season.
The Bulldogs welcome junior transfer Aleisha Coates, who is equipped with excellent ball control, a high level of competition, maturity and strength. Coates is accompanied by seven freshmen including valley natives Madelyn Halteman, Taylor Slover, Sabrina Winslow, Brielle Hefner and Jordyn Griggs along with international members Gertu Vider and Aleksandra Simeonova.
The incoming class is constructed of power, height and ability with Halteman serving as the lone setter joining the team while Slover, Vider and Griggs enter as middle blockers and Winslow, Simeonova and Hefner look to utilize their strength as outside hitters.
Academic Achievements
The `Dogs were among an all-time record breaking 753 teams who earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2014-15 season. The Bulldog volleyball program boasts a six-year consecutive streak being awarded for their academic excellence due to hard work and dedication in the classroom, consistently maintaining a +3.30 team cumulative GPA.
In addition to the team recognition, 12 Bulldogs earned individual academic all-conference honors at the conclusion of the 2014 season and have earned 33 All-MW accolades in just a three-year stent as a member of the Mountain West. Fresno State has led the league in academic accolades for the past two seasons and displayed an impressive team GPA of 3.49 for the combined fall and spring academic terms.
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