Bulldogs edged as UC Irvine improves to 9-1

Thursday, September 14

Irvine, CA

6:00 PM

Fresno State

5-7

UC Irvine

9-1

Fresno State

UC Irvine

Bulldogs edged as UC Irvine improves to 9-1

9/14/2017 9:17:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

IRVINE, Calif. – Fresno State scored at least 21 points in each of three close sets and had an 8-1 blocking advantage but came up short in a 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-22) loss at UC Irvine in its home opener Thursday night.

UC Irvine (9-1) also had a lower hitting percentage than the Bulldogs but had 12 more kills and capitalized at the service line with an 8-2 advantage in aces with the 'Dogs committing 10 service errors. Fresno State (5-7), which has played 11 of its first 12 matches of the season on the road, played its final non-conference game of the season.

Junior Taylor Slover had eight kills and a block hitting .438 while Brielle Hefner hit .278 with seven kills and three blocks and Lauren Torres had a match-high five blocks and four kills. Reagan Leonard led the Bulldogs with 10 digs and Madelyn Halteman had 24 assists and seven digs.

How it Happened
Fresno State had one of its bets offensive sets of the season in the first hitting .452. UC Irvine hit .314 in the set but the difference would be three UCI aces and four Fresno State service errors. The 'Dogs rallied from down 20-16 to tie the set at 21-21 but UCI got three straight points out of a timeout and won it with a kill on its second set point.

After the superb hitting in the first set both teams hit below .100 in the second set. The Bulldogs scored the first four points of the set before UC Irvine came back with a 5-0 run. Fresno State was held to .029 hitting in the set but, in similar fashion to the first set, used a late rally to draw within a 21-20 deficit. UCI scored three of the next four points and won on a kill from Haley DeSales.

The Bulldogs had a 12-11 lead in the third set and outhit the Anteaters in the period. UC Irvine got its first, and only, block of the match to cap a 7-2 run and take a 21-15 lead, but again the Bulldogs battled back to a 21-18 deficit. UCI reached match point at 24-20 but a kill from Slover and a solo block from Montez Uigaese forced a UCI timeout. The Anteaters would win the match on a Fresno State service error.

Quotable
Head Coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell

On the match: "We out hit them. We out blocked them. But they won the serve and pass battle. Lauren Torres played well for us and I wish we could have gotten her the ball more. Taylor was also strong offensively for us and I'm proud of our team's fight, we just have to do a little better at the little things."

On preparing for the start of MW play: "We finally have some time in our gym to practice and work out some things before conference play. We need to take more pride in our first ball contacts and we need to be far more consistent from the service line. We will get them there."

Notable
Prior to Tuesday night the fewest blocks against the 'Dogs in a match this season was three…The match had 23 ties and 9 lead changes despite the 3-0 score…Tuesday marked the third time in the last five matches that the Bulldogs played in an opposing team's home opener (Saint Mary's, CSU Bakersfield, UC Irvine) despite it being the third and fourth weeks of the season

What's Next
Fresno State opens Mountain West play next Thursday on the road facing defending conference champion Boise State. The 'Dogs will also play at Utah State next Saturday before returning for a four-match homestand.

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