Fresno State Athletics
`Dogs Rally Past Georgia State, Dominate Catamount
8/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By: Kimberly Fisher
kimfisher@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Fresno State volleyball team rallied its way past Georgia State (3-2) in what was a five-set match during the first game on Saturday, and edged tournament host Western Carolina 3-0. At the conclusion of opening weekend at the Catamount Volleyball Classic, the Bulldogs own a 2-1 overall record.
"We saw such growth in a matter of three matches," head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell said. "We started the weekend off unsure of ourselves and ended the tournament playing Bulldog Volleyball - Tough and Tenacious. Our outsides are really fine players but we're making them carry too heavy of a load. Once we build confidence in our middle attack, we'll be stellar offensively. We're fast and physical. I'm proud of Maggie [Eppright] for stabilizing our serve receive and floor defense. She was a champ all weekend. We have a lot of work to do on our block but we'll get there."
The Panthers were coming off a five-set, 3-2 loss to tournament host Western Carolina on Friday night. Both teams headed into today's action with a 0-1 overall record, as Fresno State fell 3-0 to Murray State during the season opener. The Catamounts were edged 3-0 by Murray State during the second game on Saturday, facing the `Dogs with an even 1-1 record.
Georgia State took the first set (27-25) before Fresno State retaliated with a 25-21 victory, recording their first set win of the season. After falling 25-11, the `Dogs claimed the final two (25-19, 15-10) to take the win over the Blue and White.
Outside hitters Aleisha Coates and Zana Bowens combined for 23 kills, accounting for nearly half of the team's total (53) with 77 joint attacks. Middle blocker, Lauren Torres and fellow sophomore Carly Scarbrough had an outstanding defensive showing with 13 collective blocks against Georgia State, seven of which came in the fifth match.
Team captain and starting libero, Maggie Eppright logged a team-high of 22 digs against the Panthers, one more than Friday's action and continued her double digit figures with 21 digs against Western Carolina.
The `Dogs utilized the same starting lineup for all three matches over the weekend, including senior Zana Bowens, juniors Brooke Legaux, Aleisha Coates and Maggie Eppright, sophomores Carly Scarbrough and Lauren Torres and freshman Taylor Slover.
Against Western Carolina, Fresno State took three consecutive matches (25-23, 25-21, 25-12) with four `Dogs tying for a team-high of 10 kills including Coates, Scarbrough, Slover and Bowens. As a sophomore outside hitter, Scarbrough logged a hitting percentage of .533, scoring the most points (11) against the Catamounts.
New faces on the court this weekend included Coates, a junior transfer, who debuted her Bulldog career leading the team in attacks (99) and kills (34). The lone starting freshman, Slover, helped the `Dogs to a pair of victories with seven blocks and a top five finish in kills (25) as one of four middle blockers on this season's squad. Freshmen outside hitters Brielle Hefner and Sabrina Winslow also made their first showing over the weekend with a combined total of six attacks, one kill and three digs.
During the three-match weekend, Eppright and Laguaux led the `Dogs earning All-Tournament honors helping Fresno State to a two-game sweep on Saturday. Eppright capped the two-day series with 64 digs and an impressive 5.82 digs per set percentage. Legaux, a junior setter, had 116 total assists, posting double digits in all three matches while setting a season high of 47 against Georgia State, only four shy of her career-high (51).
Three Bulldogs posted two or more service aces on the weekend including Legaux (2), Bowens (3), Coates (3) and Jacqueline Hutcheson (3).
Up next, Fresno State hosts Cal Poly for the 2015 season home opener on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. Following the midweek action, the `Dogs will visit Moraga, Calif., for the four-team Saint Mary's Tournament (Sept. 4-5). The `Dogs home action will be featured live on the Mountain West Network.
Click HERE for the full tournament schedule and results from the Catamount Volleyball Classic.
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