Fresno State Athletics
Thursday, September 15
Fresno, Calif.
6:00 PM
Fresno State
9-2
3
vs
1
UC Irvine
3-8
1
2
3
4
F
UC Irvine
21
25
23
21
1
Fresno State
25
21
25
25
3
Bulldogs claim hard-fought four-set win over UC Irvine
9/15/2016 9:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
FRESNO, Calif. - Becoming only the sixth team in program history to start 9-2 or better, the Bulldog volleyball defeated UC Irvine in four sets on Thursday evening at the Save Mart Center to close out non-conference play.
"I like how we responded after giving away the second set," said head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell on the 'Dogs four-set win. "We played well in the first set and neither team was doing well defensively and it was all offensive. I like how we responded in the third set and we had to push because they kept the pressure on us, but I liked how we stayed steady throughout the entire match."
Fresno State (9-2) was led on the evening behind a career-high 22 kills from senior outside hitter Aleisha Coates as she finished with a .395 hitting percentage and added four digs, three service aces, and two blocks. Carly Scarbrough added a season-high 15 kills and Brielle Hefner supplied 11 kills as the 'Dogs edged UC Irvine (3-8) in kills 58-49. Madelyn Halteman and Brooke Legaux combined for 51 of the 'Dogs 55 assists. Three 'Dogs nearly had double-digit dig performances as Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week Maggie Eppright finished with 14 and Jacqueline Hutcheson and Halteman added 12 and nine, respectively.
Netherby-Sewell has really enjoyed seeing Coates emerge as a top playmaker for the 'Dogs this season, "She has come into her own over the past few weeks and has become a true outside hitter. She has been a middle blocker so she is continuing to make that transition to the outside and is making great choices with the ball. I love seeing her play so well."
The 'Dogs claimed the first set 25-21 picking up five of the final six points of the set to break a 20-20 stalemate getting a pair of kills by Coates and one more Scarbrough. The Anteaters, who have played five ranked teams this season, responded in the second set winning 25-21 to knot the match a one set apiece.
Both teams came out of the intermission continuing to battle as set three was locked at 23 apiece before the 'Dogs won the final two points of the set behind a kill by Coates and block assists by Halteman and Gertu Vider. The fourth and final set proved to be a grind as well with the 'Dogs taking a slim 21-19 lead before a pair of kills by Coates sealed the win.
"It is one step at a time and we had time to prep for UC Irvine and now we have time to prep for Colorado State and Wyoming and we will be ready to go," commented Netherby-Sewell as the 'Dogs head into Mountain West play next week. "Those are tough places to play, but we have a lot of confidence and to go 9-2 in the non-conference is great. We have all the tools and it is just a matter of us staying steady and when we figure out the block, we can be great."
Fresno State returns to action next Thursday when they open up conference play at Colorado State (4-4) at 6 p.m. PT. The 'Dogs also travel to Wyoming (6-5) for a 12 p.m. PT match on Sept. 24 before returning to Fresno to host UNLV on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. PT.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – Season tickets, mini plans and single-game tickets for the 2016 Fresno State football season are now on sale at GoBulldogs.com or by calling 559-278-3647. 940 AM ESPN Radio and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes is the official home of the Fresno State Bulldogs.
Follow us on:
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateVB
Instagram:Â FresnoStatevball
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
Snap Chat:Â FSAthletics
"I like how we responded after giving away the second set," said head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell on the 'Dogs four-set win. "We played well in the first set and neither team was doing well defensively and it was all offensive. I like how we responded in the third set and we had to push because they kept the pressure on us, but I liked how we stayed steady throughout the entire match."
Fresno State (9-2) was led on the evening behind a career-high 22 kills from senior outside hitter Aleisha Coates as she finished with a .395 hitting percentage and added four digs, three service aces, and two blocks. Carly Scarbrough added a season-high 15 kills and Brielle Hefner supplied 11 kills as the 'Dogs edged UC Irvine (3-8) in kills 58-49. Madelyn Halteman and Brooke Legaux combined for 51 of the 'Dogs 55 assists. Three 'Dogs nearly had double-digit dig performances as Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week Maggie Eppright finished with 14 and Jacqueline Hutcheson and Halteman added 12 and nine, respectively.
Netherby-Sewell has really enjoyed seeing Coates emerge as a top playmaker for the 'Dogs this season, "She has come into her own over the past few weeks and has become a true outside hitter. She has been a middle blocker so she is continuing to make that transition to the outside and is making great choices with the ball. I love seeing her play so well."
The 'Dogs claimed the first set 25-21 picking up five of the final six points of the set to break a 20-20 stalemate getting a pair of kills by Coates and one more Scarbrough. The Anteaters, who have played five ranked teams this season, responded in the second set winning 25-21 to knot the match a one set apiece.
Both teams came out of the intermission continuing to battle as set three was locked at 23 apiece before the 'Dogs won the final two points of the set behind a kill by Coates and block assists by Halteman and Gertu Vider. The fourth and final set proved to be a grind as well with the 'Dogs taking a slim 21-19 lead before a pair of kills by Coates sealed the win.
"It is one step at a time and we had time to prep for UC Irvine and now we have time to prep for Colorado State and Wyoming and we will be ready to go," commented Netherby-Sewell as the 'Dogs head into Mountain West play next week. "Those are tough places to play, but we have a lot of confidence and to go 9-2 in the non-conference is great. We have all the tools and it is just a matter of us staying steady and when we figure out the block, we can be great."
Fresno State returns to action next Thursday when they open up conference play at Colorado State (4-4) at 6 p.m. PT. The 'Dogs also travel to Wyoming (6-5) for a 12 p.m. PT match on Sept. 24 before returning to Fresno to host UNLV on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. PT.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – Season tickets, mini plans and single-game tickets for the 2016 Fresno State football season are now on sale at GoBulldogs.com or by calling 559-278-3647. 940 AM ESPN Radio and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes is the official home of the Fresno State Bulldogs.
Follow us on:
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateVB
Instagram:Â FresnoStatevball
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
Snap Chat:Â FSAthletics
Team Stats
UCI
FS
Kills
49
58
Errors
16
21
Attempts
124
133
Hitting %
.266
.278
Points
64.0
79.0
Assists
42
55
Aces
6
10
Blocks
9.0
11.0
Game Leaders
Kills
22
Aces
3
Blocks
4
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
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