'Dogs begin four-match road swing at Nevada, San Jose State

Fresno State (14-6, 6-1 MW) at Nevada (8-11, 1-7 MW)
Oct. 18, 2018 • 6:30 PM PT • Virginia Street Gym (1,000) • Reno, Nev.
Video: MW Network
Live: Live Stats • Live Updates on Twitter (@FresnoStateVB)
Series History • Streak: Nevada leads 27-25 • NV W 1

Fresno State (14-6, 6-1 MW) at San Jose State (8-9, 3-5 MW)
Oct. 20, 2018 • 2:00 PM PT • Spartan Gym (1,000) • San Jose, Calif.
Video: MW Network
Live: Live Stats • Live Updates on Twitter (@FresnoStateVB)
Series History • Streak: San Jose State leads 51-33 • SJSU W 2

Complete Weekly Release (PDF)

Bulldog Bones
• Fresno State has its best conference start since the 2003 season and leads the MW with a 6-1 record
• The 'Dogs are 2-1 in MW road matches after a combined 2-16 road MW record the last two seasons
• Fresno State has won the first set in 15 of 20 total matches this year and in all seven MW matches
• In MW matches Fresno State leads the league in opponent hit pct (.135) and digs per set (16.00)
• Fresno State hasn't won at Nevada since 2013. The 'Dogs have lost five of six vs. San Jose State

Scouting Nevada (8-11, 1-7 MW)
• Nevada began the year 7-4 in non-conference matches but is just 1-7 in the MW. The lone Wolf Pack league win was a 3-2 home victory over Utah State but they've had two 5-set losses.
• Nevada has played just three home matches this year, all in MW play, and is 1-2 in Reno.
• The Wolf Pack rank last in the MW averaging just 1.51 blocks per set this season and are second to last in the league with just 11.03 kills per set in conference matches hitting just .153.
• Jamila Minor leads the MW averaging 10.58 attacks per set and leads the team with 3.18 kills per set but is hitting just .126. Dalyn Burns is third in the conference with 9.05 assists per set.
• The 'Dogs and Pack split two meetings last year. Fresno State hasn't won in Reno since 2013.

Scouting San Jose State (8-9, 3-5 MW)
• San Jose State began MW play 1-5 but had a pair of wins last week, beating Nevada, 3-1, and Air Force, 3-2. The Spartans' first conference win was a 3-0 home sweep of Boise State. The team is 2-2 at home this season and has played 10 total 3-set matches, winning five and losing five.
• In MW matches San Jose State leads the league with 56 service aces and 1.87 aces per set and for the season the Spartans rank 22nd in NCAA Div. I averaging 1.66 aces per set.
• The Spartans are second to last in the league in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, and blocks in MW play. Latahevai Lousi leads the team with 3.16 kills per set hitting .224.
• The Spartans have won five of the last six meetings, but the 'Dogs won in San Jose in 2016.

Top of the Mountain
• After starting 6-1 in the MW for the first time since joining the conference in 2012, the 'Dogs are the only 1-loss team in the league and are alone in first place.
• Fresno State has its best overall conference start since the 2003 team began WAC play 7-1.
• Starting MW 4-0, the Bulldogs equaled the program record for consecutive wins to begin conference play, matching a 4-0 start in 2001 as a member of the WAC.
• The 'Dogs have achieved their historic start while beating three of the top four teams in the preseason MW Coaches Poll.

Winning on the Road
• The Bulldogs are 4-2 in true road matches this season, already surpassing their road win total last year in which the team finished 3-12 in road contests.
• With two road MW wins the Bulldogs have already matched their total for the last two years, in which the 2016 and 2017 teams combined to go 2-16 in road MW matches (both were 1-8).
• The last time the 'Dogs ended the season with an overall winning road record was 2013, when they finished 7-5, and the team's best MW road record was 5-5 in 2013.

First Set Success
• The 'Dogs have won the first set in each of their first seven MW matches.
• Fresno State has won the first set in 15 of 20 total matches this year and is 13-2 when winning the first set and 1-4 when losing it.

Getting Defensive
• The Bulldogs have held their MW opponents to .135 hitting, the best among all teams thus far in conference play, with six of seven MW foes held below a .200 hit percentage.
• In their 3-0 sweep at Utah State the 'Dogs held the Aggies to -.045 hitting (22 kills- 27 errors), the first time Fresno State has ever limited a MW opponent to a negative hitting percentage since joining the league.
• In MW matches the 'Dogs also lead the league with 16.00 digs per set, averaging over one and a half per set more than any other team, and are second with 2.72 blocks per set.

She Can Dig It
• Sophomore Reagan Leonard leads the MW averaging 4.91 digs per set this season and has been named MW Defensive Player of the Week twice this year.
• Leonard's current digs per set average would be the second best in a season in program history as she has totaled double-digit digs in all 20 matches with nine 20+ dig matches.
• In just her second career start at libero, Leonard broke the single-match program record with 38 digs in the 'Dogs 3-1 win at Eastern Illinois. Her total was one dig better than the previous record of 37 digs, set by Mounia Nihipali vs. San Jose State in 2004.

Better Blocking
• Fresno State has had the same or more blocks than its opponent in 15 of 20 matches this year, averaging 2.35 blocks per set while allowing only 1.91 opponent blocks per set.
• The Bulldogs are 13-2 this year when having the same or more blocks than their opponent but 1-4 when trailing in blocks.
• In MW play Haile Watson ranks second in the league averaging 1.52 blocks per set and has tallied at least four blocks in all seven matches. She was named MW Defensive Player of the Week after totaling 10 blocks in Bulldog home wins vs. UNLV and New Mexico.

Stepping Up
• Senior Aubrey Folk has been a big factor in the 'Dogs early MW success as she has thrived with increased playing time.
• Folk is second on the team with 2.96 kills per set and third with 0.96 blocks per set while hitting .319 in conference play after averaging just 1.78 kills and 0.37 blocks per set in the 13 Bulldog non-conference matches.
• Folk has totaled just 15 attack errors in 166 swings in MW games. She has had double-digit kills in four matches and recorded four or more blocks in four league matches.

On Service
• The service game has been a big factor in Fresno State's success this year as the team is 10-0 when leading in aces but 4-6 when trailing its opponent in aces.
• The 'Dogs are averaging 1.60 aces per set in their 14 wins compared to 1.04 aces per set in the six losses.
• Fresno State had 11 service aces vs. New Mexico last Thursday, its most this year in a MW match, after totaling just three aces in its two prior matches.

Home Cooking
• Dating back to the 2016 season the Bulldogs have won 16 of their last 20 home matches.
• Fresno State was 7-3 at home last season and is 7-1 in the Save Mart Center so far this year.
• The squad has clinched a winning home record for the third straight year and the sixth time in the last seven seasons.

All Around Star
• For the second consecutive season senior Taylor Slover is leading the 'Dogs in kills per set (3.56) and points per set (4.15), and this year she is also second on the team with 22 service aces and with 2.60 digs per set.
• Slover has recorded double-doubles in five of seven MW matches and is second in the league with 11 double-doubles this year, the most by a Bulldog since Zana Bowens had 12 double-doubles in the 2015 season.
• Slover has recorded double-digit kills in 15 of 18 matches and double-digit digs in nine matches while also contributing 35 blocks.

Two Wins and a Baby
• Over three days Sept. 27-29, first year Fresno State head coach Jonathan Winder not only defeated the top two teams in the MW poll but also had the birth of his third child.
• Sandwiched between the Wyoming match on Sept. 27 and the Colorado State match on Sept. 29, Winder and his wife, Jaimie-Rose, had a planned C-section on Sept. 28 and welcomed their third child, a healthy boy named Hayes Patrick Winder.

Super Support
• Fresno State is one of just four NCAA Div. I schools in California averaging more than 1,000 fans per match and has a higher average home attendance than UCLA, Cal, and two more Pac-12 schools, among others.
• The squad ranks second in the MW in average attendance, trailing only 14-time MW champion Colorado State.
• The 'Dogs have topped 1,000 fans in five of eight home matches with a season-high crowd of 1,583 for Fresno State's home opener vs. local rival Fresno Pacific.

Taking Down Goliath
• Fresno State knocked off 14-time MW champion Colorado State, 3-1, on Sept. 29, beating a Rams team that was receiving votes in the AVCA poll after being ranked No. 25 earlier this year, has won the MW in eight of the last nine seasons, and has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 23 consecutive seasons.
• The 'Dogs took down the Rams behind strong defense, posting a 13.0-5.0 edge in blocks to hold CSU to just .170 hitting, and solid serving with eight aces to six errors while the Rams had five aces and 11 service errors.

Historic W's
• Fresno State ended two long losing streaks in its record start to MW conference play.
• The 'Dogs opened MW play with a 3-0 sweep at San Diego State, the first Bulldog road win over the Aztecs since Sept. 24, 1999.
• Fresno State's victory over Colorado State was its first over the Rams since Oct. 11, 2012, ending a nine-match losing streak in which the 'Dogs won just two total sets and were swept seven times.

"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.

Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateVB
Instagram: FresnoStatevball
Facebook: FresnoStateVB

'Dogs begin four-match road swing at Nevada, San Jose State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Zana Bowens

Aubrey Folk

Reagan Leonard

Taylor Slover

Haile Watson

Fresno State Athletics