Bulldogs earn win in hard-fought Alumnae Match

Saturday, August 19

Fresno, CA

1:00 PM

Fresno State

Alumni (Exhibition)

Alumnae

Fresno State

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Bulldogs earn win in hard-fought Alumnae Match

8/19/2017 4:55:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State volleyball team kicked off its 2017 season with the annual Alumnae Match, earning the victory at 3-1 in a 3-2 final against many star Bulldogs from previous seasons. The match was predetermined to go a full five sets.

The Alumnae team, which included former stars such as 2016 Bulldog libero Maggie Eppright and current Director of Operations Holly Franks, pushed the 2017 roster in its first action against outside competition since practice began on Aug. 8.

"We were pretty nervous out of the gate, which happens every year the first time in front of the home crowd," head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell said. "We played super tight and made mistakes we don't see in our practice gym, but once they settled in it was better. I got to throw people in different positions and try out different things, which made it challenging for the team but it was really fun. Our Alumnae team was awesome, which is a testament to the past and the growth of the program. It was a good match and great for us because they put some pressure on us."

Junior Taylor Slover led all players in the match with 16 kills while also contributing eight digs and two blocks. Junior middle blocker Haile Watson tallied 10 kills and a team-high seven blocks while hitting .304 and sophomore Madelyn Halteman had a double-double with 52 assists and 14 digs along with three blocks. Senior Jacqueline Hutcheson recorded a team-high 17 digs.

The Alumnae took advantage of some early nerves and rolled to a 25-16 victory in the first set behind seven blocks with four kills, four block assists, three digs, and a service ace from Franks, who played her senior season at Fresno State in 2013 and was the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year.

The second set was the closest of the match with five ties and two lead changes. The 2017 Bulldogs led 20-15 before a 6-0 spurt gave the Alums a 21-20 lead. The Bulldogs withstood two set points at 24-22 and ended up scoring the last four points of the set to win 26-24.

Fresno State hit a sizzling .481 in the third set with 16 kills and just three attack errors. Trailing 4-3, the current squad went on a 10-0 run to pull away early in the set and cruise to a 25-11 set win. The 2017 team hit a solid .270 in the fourth set and ended the set on an 8-3 run to win it 25-17.

Though the match result had been decided the teams played a fifth set to 15 in which the Alumnae found a second wind, hitting a match-best .304 with eight kills and just one error. The current team led 8-3 but the Alums had a 10-0 run and took the final set 15-10.

"Because we were so tight we saw some people struggle and we needed to see what that struggle was for some of our players," Netherby-Sewell said. "We got to see a lot, and what we need to see coming up is better rhythm and tempo. Once we get a lineup we'll be able to do that."

Netherby-Sewell used different combinations of players in each of the five sets with both Hutcheson and junior Emily Dzubak, who had nine digs and four assists, serving as liberos. Lauren Torres, Jessica Gilbert and Brielle Hefner all tallied six kills with Hefner hitting .417 and Torres at .500. Junior Karina Felipe played in just the fifth set but hit a perfect 1.000 with four kills in four attempts.

Marissa Taff led the Alumnae with 10 kills and had 10 digs. Eppright had a match-high 27 digs and Christina Lee had a double-double with 28 assists and 11 digs. Maci Murdock had nine total blocks, including two solo. The current squad outhit the Alumnae .178-.130 with the former Bulldogs holding a 14-10 edge in blocks.

Fresno State officially opens the 2017 season next week at the SJSU/USF Tournament in the Bay Area. The season opener is next Friday, Aug. 25, against Utah Valley in San Jose. The team's home opener will be a week from Tuesday, Aug. 29, against Fresno Pacific.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

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