Fresno State Athletics
Bulldog volleyball reveals 2016 schedule
6/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By: Kimberly Fisher
kimfisher@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State volleyball head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell has announced the 2016 schedule. The Bulldogs will open a challenging campaign on Aug. 26 in Boston, Mass., succeeding the annual alumnae match on Saturday, Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. PT.
Fresno State's 30-match regular season schedule includes three tournaments prior to the Mountain West opener on Sept. 22 against defending champion Colorado State. Non-conference action will get underway with five East Coast matchups, three of which will be played during the Boston College Invitational. The ‘Dogs will visit a pair of American East Conference programs, Hartford (Aug. 28) and New Hampshire (Aug. 29), prior to their return.
September opens at home as Fresno State welcomes Portland State and DePaul for the Bulldog Showdown (Sept. 2-3), before traveling to San Antonio, Texas to face tournament host Incarnate Word (Sept. 9), Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern (Sept. 10). The squad hosts Fresno Pacific for an exhibition match on Sept. 12 and will oppose UC Irvine at the Save Mart Center on Sept. 15.
Mountain West play kicks off on the road at Colorado State (Sept. 22) and Wyoming (Sept. 24), and Fresno State hosts UNLV for the conference home opener on Sept. 29. The 2016 home schedule also includes league rivals New Mexico (Oct. 1), Air Force (Oct. 13), Boise State (Oct. 15), Wyoming (Oct. 20), Colorado State (Oct. 22), Nevada (Nov. 3), San Diego State (Nov. 5) and Utah State (Nov. 16).
Bulldog opponents Colorado State and New Hampshire reached the 2015 NCAA Tournament and won their respective conferences, along with LIU Brooklyn. Overall the group will face one team hailing from seven separate conferences - ACC, NEC, Big Sky, Big East, Southland, PacWest and Big West - along with a pair of America East and Southwestern Athletic Conference foes.
Fresno State will compete against each Mountain West program on the road and at home, with the exception of Utah State and San Jose State this season. All home matches will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.
Netherby-Sewell on opening weekend:
"I like going east once a year," Netherby-Sewell said. "Traveling helps open up the student-athlete's world a bit - new culture, adventures and food - and we're looking to get five solid matches out of that trip. Boston College is a physical ACC team, Long Island University is traditionally very strong in their conference and New Hampshire has been a pretty dominant contender in the America East in the past. It'll be a challenge, but our goal is to come home 5-0."
Netherby-Sewell on the Bulldog Showdown:
"We are excited to host another Bulldog Showdown on our home court. It's always a pleasure to play in front of our fired-up Red Wave and there's no better facility and group of people than the folks at the Save Mart Center. We have two Portland teams heading down the coast - one of whom gave us some trouble last season. We'll look to return the favor this year. DePaul is visiting from the Big East and we'll be ready for a physical match with them."
Netherby-Sewell on FPU and UC Irvine:
"Fresno Pacific and UC Irvine are closing out our preseason at home in late September. FPU always brings us a great match with an electric crowd. We hope to fill our arena for that one. We played UC Irvine in the spring at USC - they're fast and athletic. We had a mind-blowing comeback against them winning 34-32 in the final set of the match. They come with a blistering attack from the service line, and we'll be better prepared for it this time around. I have no doubt it'll be a tough match and an exciting one to watch."
Netherby-Sewell on Mountain West play:
"Our conference matches open up on the road with two of the toughest opponents - Colorado State and Wyoming. Colorado State will continue to be title-contenders and Wyoming was as close as you can get to an NCAA bid last season. Non-conference play has to get us ready and we need to be healthy for opening weekend. We can assume Boise State will be strong again, they are still young and full of talent like we are, and were very close to an NCAA at-large bid last season. We are looking to flip the script this season after dropping two close five-set matches last year. Nevada is on the rise and so many of our conference opponents are tough to play year in and year out. We are confident in the progress we had in the spring, our commitment this summer and the newcomers will help us be in a position to win."
Netherby-Sewell on the 2016 staff:
"My staff is really strong. We've added an experienced and passionate assistant coach, Jose Lugo. Jose will undoubtedly help us continue to improve and he'll bring a lot to the table in figuring out ways to beat teams and more importantly help in teaching the team to execute our plans. Sarah Chlebana and Korrin Wild are going into their second season and we're all hitting our stride. I think with their level of commitment and strengths, we'll do wonderful things in 2016."
Netherby-Sewell on the Side Out Club:
"There is a new passion an energy in our group with the emergence of our Side Out Club board. Denise Williams is leading the charge and we have felt a tremendous amount of support so far. We hope to continue growing the club this season and make memorable events, in order for our dedicated fans and student-athletes to build great relationships."
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