MW-leading Bulldogs head to Utah State and Boise State

Fresno State (11-5, 3-0 MW) at Utah State (3-12, 1-3 MW)
Oct. 4, 2018 • 6:00 PM PT • Wayne Estes Center (1,400) • Logan, Utah
Video: MW Network
Live: Live Stats • Live Updates on Twitter (@FresnoStateVB)
Series History • Streak: Fresno State leads 17-13 • FS W 1

Fresno State (11-5, 3-0 MW) at Boise State (10-5, 2-2 MW)
Oct. 6, 2018 • 9:00 AM PT • Bronco Gym (1,400) • Boise, Idaho
Video: MW Network
Live: Live Stats • Live Updates on Twitter (@FresnoStateVB)
Series History • Streak: Fresno State leads 20-16 • BSU W 8

Complete Weekly Release (PDF)

Bulldog Bones
• Fresno State leads the MW as the last unbeaten as it has started 3-0 in the league for the first time.
• The Bulldogs defeated 14-time MW champion Colorado State for the first time since 2012.
• In MW matches Fresno State leads the league in opponent hit pct (.147) and digs per set (16.82).
• Libero Reagan Leonard was named MW Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this year.
• Utah State is 0-5 at home this year; Boise State has won eight straight meetings with the Bulldogs.

Scouting Utah State (3-12, 1-3 MW)
• Utah State earned a 5-set road win at San Jose State last week before losing in five at Nevada. The Aggies are 0-5 at home this year and are 0-8 in matches that have gone three or four sets.
• The Aggies have won at least one set in all four of their MW matches with mostly close sets.
• Utah State is a strong blocking team, averaging 2.46 blocks per set, but ranks last in the MW hitting just .185 with 10.92 kills per set. Corinne Larsen is 3rd in the MW with 1.34 blocks per set
• After going 16-14 overall last season the Aggies were picked tied for eighth in the MW Poll.
• Fresno State has won five of the last six meetings between the teams, including a 3-1 road win in 2015. The 'Dogs and Aggies split two matches last year with each team winning at home.

Scouting Boise State (10-5, 2-2 MW)
• The Broncos have played just three sets in each of their four MW matches, sweeping New Mexico and Nevada and getting swept by UNLV and San Jose State. The team is 3-2 at home.
• Boise State leads the MW with a .156 opposing hitting percentage and is second in the league with 2.78 blocks per set, but is hitting .214 as a team. Sabryn Roberts averages 4.15 kills per set.
• Boise State was picked to finish tied for third in the preseason MW poll after going 10-8 in conference play last season. The Broncos began the season 6-0 but have gone just 4-5 since.
• The Bulldogs will have the chance to end another long losing streak as Boise State has won eight straight meetings between the teams. The last Fresno State win was in Boise in 2013.

Top of the Mountain
• The Bulldogs lead the MW as the lone remaining unbeaten team as they have started 3-0 in the MW for the first time.
• The 'Dogs have achieved their historic start while facing the top three teams in the preseason MW Coaches' Poll and dropping just two total sets in three dominant wins.
• Fresno State has started conference play 3-0 for the first time since the 2001 team did so as a member of the WAC. That team moved to 4-0 before its first league loss as no Fresno State team has started conference play with more than four straight wins in the Div. I era.

Taking Down Goliath
• Fresno State knocked off 14-time MW champion Colorado State, 3-1, last Saturday, 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 has ended two long losing streaks en route to starting 3-0 in the MW.
• 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.

Getting Defensive
• The Bulldogs have held their three MW opponents to .147 hitting, the best among all teams thus far in conference play.
• In MW matches the 'Dogs also lead the league with 16.82 digs per set, averaging over one dig more than any other team, and are second with 2.91 blocks per set.

Win Baby Win
• Over three days last week 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 last Thursday and the Colorado State match last Saturday, Winder and his wife, Jamie-Rose, had a planned C-section last Friday and welcomed their third child, a healthy boy named Hayes Patrick Winder.

Better Blocking
• Fresno State has had the same or more blocks than its opponent in 12 of 16 matches this year, averaging 2.30 blocks per set while allowing only 1.84 opponent blocks per set.
• The Bulldogs are 10-2 this year when having the same or more blocks than their opponent and 1-3 when trailing in blocks.
• In MW play the Bulldogs are averaging better than a block per set more than their opponents, 2.91-1.73, despite starting middle blocker Montez Uigaese missing the last two matches due to injury.

She Can Dig It
• Sophomore Reagan Leonard leads the MW averaging 4.92 digs per set this season and was named MW Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for the second time this season.
• 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 16 matches with eight 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.

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 three more Pac-12 schools, among others.
• The 'Dogs have topped 1,000 fans in four of six home matches with a season-high crowd of 1,583 for Fresno State's home opener vs. local rival Fresno Pacific.

Double-Double Machine
• Senior Taylor Slover has recorded double-doubles in all three MW matches and ranks third in the league with nine double-doubles this year, just one shy of the lead.
• For the second consecutive season Slover is leading the 'Dogs in kills per set (3.56) and points per set (4.18), and this year she also leads the team with 21 service aces and is second with 2.62 digs per set.
• Slover has recorded double-digit kills in 14 of 16 matches and double-digit digs in nine matches while also contributing 30 blocks.

On Service
• The service game has been a big factor in Fresno State's success this year as the team is 8-0 when leading in aces but 3-5 when trailing its opponent in aces.
• The 'Dogs are averaging 1.64 aces per set in their 11 wins but just 1.11 aces per set in the five losses.

Home Cooking
• Dating back to the 2016 season the Bulldogs have won 14 of their last 18 home matches.
• Fresno State was 7-3 at home last season and is 5-1 in the Save Mart Center so far this year.
• The squad has had a winning home record in each of the last two years and in five of the last six seasons.

Beating Tourney Teams
• Fresno State has two wins this year against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last season, beating Colorado State last Saturday and 2017 Patriot League champion American on Aug. 31.
• Last season the 'Dogs had three wins against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams, beating UNLV twice and SWAC champ Alabama State.

Top Attacker
• Senior Haile Watson ranks second in the MW this season with a .359 hitting percentage.
• Watson had a career-high 19 kills and just one error in 25 attacks vs. Saint Mary's to hit .720. At the time it was the best single-match hitting percentage in NCAA Div. I this season (min. 20 attacks) and it now ranks fourth best.
• Watson's only attack error against the Gaels came late in the fourth set as she nearly broke the program hitting percentage record of .792, achieved by Shauna McQuaid with 20 kills and one error against UALR in 2001.

Going Long
• Fresno State has played at least four sets in 11 of 16 matches this season with five 5-set matches. The team is playing 4.0 sets per match on average.
• The Bulldogs have played 64 sets this year with nine sets that have gone to extra points.

New Kid on the Block
• Shifting to middle blocker this season, redshirt sophomore Montez Uigaese leads the team averaging 1.11 blocks per set.
• Uigaese has had multiple blocks in all but two matches this season and tallied 26 blocks in the last six matches before missing both matches last week due to injury.

Conference Strong
• Fresno State is one of eight MW schools that has an overall winning record this year.
• As a conference, the 11 MW teams totaled an impressive 72-57 record this year against non-conference opponents.

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MW-leading Bulldogs head to Utah State and Boise State

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Players Mentioned

Reagan Leonard

Taylor Slover

Montez Uigaese

Haile Watson

Fresno State Athletics