Volleyball outswings Utah State in 3-1 win

Thursday, October 19

Fresno, CA

7:00 PM

Fresno State

9-12, 4-5MW

Utah State

12-9, 4-5MW

Utah State

Fresno State

Volleyball outswings Utah State in 3-1 win

10/19/2017 10:09:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

FRESNO, Calif. – Behind 14.0 blocks Fresno State held Utah State to sub-.180 hitting percentages in three of four sets while the Bulldogs hit a solid .255 themselves in a 3-1 (25-17, 18-25, 25-23, 25-17) victory on Thursday night in the Save Mart Center.

Fresno State (9-12, 4-5 MW) pulled even with Utah State (12-9, 4-5 MW) in the Mountain West and is one of four teams tied for fourth place in the conference standings. The Bulldogs improved to 4-2 overall and 3-2 in MW matches at home this season.

Taylor Slover had 15 kills and nine digs while hitting .367 to lead the 'Dogs. Aubrey Folk and Brielle Hefner each had 13 kills while Haile Watson had seven kills and a match-high seven blocks. Jacqueline Hutcheson recorded a career-high 25 digs to go with three service aces. Fresno State had a 14.0-11.0 advantage in blocks and led 60-50 in digs.

How it Happened
The Bulldogs came out with a blazing start to the first set, going on a 7-0 run after Utah State scored the first point. Utah State got back within a 12-11 deficit before another Bulldog run of five points gave the home team a 17-11. The 'Dogs hit a match-best .407 in the set with 15 kills and just four errors in a 25-17 win.

Utah State jumped to a quick 7-4 lead to start the second set. After Fresno State got back within a 10-9 deficit the Aggies had a 9-3 run to open up a big lead. Utah State hit .379 in the set, it's only set with a hitting percentage above .179, and took a 24-15 lead before winning it 25-18.

Fresno State took a huge lead in the third set, going up 14-5 with a 9-0 run after the set was tied 5-5. The 'Dogs led by as large as a 16-6 score, but the Aggies came charging back and used a 6-1 run late in the set to come all the way back and tie the score at 23-23. The Bulldogs had an answer, however, as Montez Uigaese had a kill to bring a set point and Hefner and Lauren Torres followed with a block to end it.

The Bulldog defense was exceptional in the fourth set, tallying four blocks as Utah State hit -.027 with only seven kills and eight attack errors. The set was tied at 15-15 before a 7-1 run by the 'Dogs gave them a 22-16 advantage. The Aggies got one point back out of a timeout but the Bulldogs closed the set and with three straight points, winning the match on a Reagan Leonard service ace.

Quotable
Head Coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell

On the match: "We talk about our right-sides a lot. Aubrey and Brielle are pretty reliable for us and they were again tonight, but the difference maker was Taylor on the outside. She scored points, made great decisions with sets, passed well, and served really tough. A really nice match for her tonight and a great team effort by all. The setters started digging balls and earned us runs with their serve. Jacque has been stellar; she's a champ."

On what's next: "We are looking to take a match from Boise Saturday and move up in the standings. We need to pack the house!!! Greeks - come back out!"

Notable
The match was the eighth straight for the Bulldogs that went longer than three sets. Eight of the team's first nine MW matches this season have gone at least four sets (the only exception being a 3-0 loss in the MW opener at Boise State)…The Bulldogs recorded double-digit blocks for the seventh time in the last eight matches…Fresno State is now averaging 3.38 blocks per set at home and has a .221-.170 advantage in hitting percentage on its home floor this season…The Bulldogs have won six of their last eight home matches dating back to last season…Hutcheson's previous career-high for digs was 23, set against San Diego State earlier this season

What's Next
Fresno State hosts Boise State at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Broncos opened MW play 4-0 but have lost five consecutive matches after blowing a 2-0 lead and losing 3-2 at San Diego State on Thursday.

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