Bulldogs lead wire-to-wire in 3-0 sweep of New Mexico

Thursday, November 9

Fresno, CA

7:00 PM

Fresno State

10-17, 5-10MW

New Mexico

14-14, 6-9MW

New Mexico

Fresno State

Bulldogs lead wire-to-wire in 3-0 sweep of New Mexico

11/9/2017 9:54:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno State never trailed on Thursday night, hitting .317 with nine blocks and eight service aces in a dominant 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-23) sweep of New Mexico in the Save Mart Center.

Fresno State (10-17, 5-10 MW) won for the seventh time in its last 10 home matches dating back to last season, taking a big lead early in the first set and never allowing the Lobos to move ahead at any point over the three sets. New Mexico (14-14, 6-9 MW) hit just .180 while being outblocked 9.0-5.0 and trailing in service aces 8-1 with six service errors.

Brielle Hefner led the 'Dogs offensively tallying 12 kills with just two attack errors and a .385 hitting percentage. Montez Uigaese had seven kills in just nine swings, hitting a career-best .667, and Taylor Slover also had seven kills with a team-high nine digs. Haile Watson, the third leading blocker in the MW this season, had five blocks on Thursday while Hefner and Lauren Torres both had three. Jacqueline Hutcheson led the 'Dogs with three service aces and Reagan Leonard had two.

How it Happened
The Bulldogs jumped to a quick 4-2 lead in the first set and then had a 10-1 run to blow it open with a huge 14-3 advantage. New Mexico hit -.034 in the set with nine kills and 10 attack errors and trailed by at least eight points the rest of the way. The Bulldogs had just two attack errors in the set and had three blocks and two aces, reaching set point at 24-12 and winning it 25-15 on a block from Hefner and Watson.

The second set stayed close a little longer but the Bulldogs used a 5-1 run to take a 12-7 lead. New Mexico got as close as a two-point deficit and trailed just 18-16 before Fresno State had a 5-0 run with two kills and two blocks to move ahead 23-16. Kills by Watson and Slover gave the Bulldogs the set and a 2-0 lead.

After hitting below .130 in each of the first two sets New Mexico hit .448 in the third set to make it the most competitive of the night. The Lobos still never led in the set as the Bulldogs jumped ahead 4-1 and New Mexico could do no better than tying the score. There were three ties in the set, and after the Bulldogs led 21-15 the Lobos came back to trail 22-20. Fresno State reached match point at 24-20 but the visitors saved three match points before Hefner had a kill on the 'Dogs fourth try to finish the match.

Quotable
Head Coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell

On the match: "I thought we had such a nice effort by everyone to step up and be reliable. It helped to have multiple pin hitters scoring and not making unnecessary errors. We played alert and they executed the game plan."

On the team and crowd: "I thought Haile played really solid for us. She was aggressive at the net and reliable and Tez scoring made a big difference in the game. The crowd and band made our day; they were behind us and helped us get our spirit back! Good to be home."

Notable
The Bulldogs improved to 5-3 on their home floor this season. The team has outblocked its opponents 104.0-62.0 at home, averaging 3.35 blocks per set….Fresno State is now 5-0 this season when taking a 2-0 lead…New Mexico entered the match leading the Mountain West in digs and the 'Dogs tied the Lobos in digs on Thursday, 29-29…All 13 dressed New Mexico players saw action in the match.

What's Next
Fresno State plays its final road match of the season next Wednesday, facing regular season MW champion and No. 19-ranked Colorado State in Fort Collins. The match will be the only meeting of the year between the teams.

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