Central Valley stars leading Bulldog Volleyball to breakout season

FRESNO, Calif. – The Central Valley of California is known for its rich agricultural land, producing more than half of the fruits, vegetables and nuts grown in the United States. For the Fresno State volleyball program, the valley has also produced tremendous student-athletes that have led a resurgence of the Bulldog program this season.

Five of the team's seven starters (six + libero) in MW conference play are home-grown products of the Central Valley who are leading the team not only on the court but also in the community.

"It's always our goal to keep the top local talent," first-year head coach Jonathan Winder said. "It provides more connectivity to the community, and the community is one of the priorities in everything that we do. Being able to have local players to compete for us and help coach camps and clinics and go back to the high schools and stay involved in the volleyball community contributes to the long-term success of Fresno State volleyball."

Starters Madelyn Halteman (Turlock), Taylor Slover (Visalia), Jessica Gilbert (Modesto), Jocelyn Rodriguez (Clovis) and Emily Dzubak (Stockton) have helped lead the Bulldogs to a 17-7 overall record and 9-2 MW mark as Fresno State is battling for the conference title. Senior Brielle Hefner, a product of Madera, is out due to injury but has also been a starter during her Bulldog career.

Staying close to home and representing the Valley at Fresno State is a great source of pride for all of the local Bulldogs.

"It means so much to me to be able to represent the valley," Slover said. "I think a lot of people from the valley don't realize what a great University we have right here in our backyard. It truly means the world to me."

Staying local and playing at Fresno State wasn't always the goal for Slover, who has led the team in kills and total points in each of the last two seasons, but fortunately for the program she ended up having all of her success as a Bulldog.

"To be completely honest, I didn't really want to stay this close!" she said. "I wanted to go farther away and experience a new place, but looking back I can't imagine playing anywhere else or representing any other school! I'm honored to stay in the Central Valley."

Hefner, who, along with Slover, has been a four-year player for the Bulldogs, echoed those sentiments.

"Playing at Fresno State has made me so happy to defend my home and show that Bulldog pride runs deep in the valley," she said. "The valley can be an underappreciated place, but it was always my dream to stay close to home and have my family and friends watch me play in the Save Mart Center. I have a lot of people in my family who are Fresno State alumni and the Bulldog pride is really big."

In her fourth season with the 'Dogs and playing her third year after redshirting, Halteman ranks second in the MW in assists this season and is already fifth in program history in career assists with still one more season to pay.

"It means a lot to me to represent the valley playing at Fresno State," Halteman said. "I want my family and friends to be proud of how far I have come and I want people to know that it's possible to follow your dreams. I can't imagine playing anywhere else or representing any other team and I'm so glad I can call myself a Bulldog!"

Dzubak, Gilbert, and Rodriguez all began their collegiate careers elsewhere but could not have been happier to return to the Central Valley to play at Fresno State.

"It was pretty difficult being so far away from home for two years so I was extremely happy to have the opportunity to transfer to Fresno State," said Gilbert, who played her first two collegiate seasons at Eastern Washington. "It means so much to me to be able to represent the valley at Fresno State. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to play and wear the "V" on my Jersey."

Rodriguez, who played high school volleyball just six miles from the Save Mart Center at Clovis East HS, came home to Fresno State this season after playing her freshman year at San Francisco State.

"Once the transfer went through I counted down the days until I was moving back home, which pretty much showed how excited I was to be back," she said. "I always told my dad I'd play in the Save Mart Center one day and finally was able to make it happen. It means the world to me to represent the valley. I have younger cousins and friends that live and play volleyball here and seeing someone from the valley get so far could inspire them to do the same."

Dzubak never actually left the valley as she played two seasons at American River College in Sacramento, but coming to Fresno State and playing Division I volleyball was always her dream.

"I was extremely excited and proud when I made the commitment to come to Fresno State," she said. "Coming from a junior college it is everyone's dream to be able to go Division I and I knew being at Fresno State would further me as an athlete and overall young woman. It means a great deal to be representing the valley because being so close to home I am able to represent my town and inspire those to continue on a path such as my own. Being able to call myself a Fresno State athlete is a blessing and I will never take that opportunity for granted."

The Bulldog coaching staff has plenty of local ties to the Central Valley as well. Coach Winder's wife, Jaimie-Rose, is a Fresno native while his father-in-law, Vance Walberg, is the boys basketball coach at Clovis West and his sister-in-law, Heather Long, is the girls basketball coach at Clovis North. Assistant coach Maggie Eppright returned to Fresno after playing four season for the Bulldogs (2013-2016), and volunteer assistant Rudy Barajas has been a local volleyball coach and, like Eppright, is an alum of Fresno State.

Beyond the athletic opportunity to play Division I volleyball in a high-level conference, the incredible fans and unwavering community support make local student athletes want to play at Fresno State.

"The community support means everything to the program," Gilbert said. "Setting an example for the younger generations inspires us to play better and be better people on and off the court. The community support allows us to accomplish our goals and it means a lot more to us to share our success."

Fresno State has the second-highest average home attendance among the 11 MW schools this year and is one of just five Div. I schools in California drawing over 1,000 fans per match. The Bulldogs have a higher average home attendance this season than Pac-12 schools Cal and Washington State.

"Playing in front of valley fans is very special to me because we are representing where they are from and always want to make them proud to be from the valley," Halteman said. "Support from the community means so much because they're one of the main reasons we succeed. I love having fans because they also help us reach our goal of becoming the best we can be."

The Bulldogs are 7-1 at home this season and have won 16 of their last 20 home matches dating back to the 2016 season, and the home crowd is a big part of that success.

"The valley support for our program is huge because the more people that come, the more they're able to see the positive things that come out of our program and out of Fresno as a whole," Rodriguez said. "That is what adds to the culture in our program."

"The community support is uniting Bulldog Volleyball with the surrounding schools and volleyball clubs, which is amazing and makes me, as a valley born and raised kid, very happy," Hefner added.

The Bulldogs begin the week just a half game behind Colorado State atop the MW standings after being picked to finish seventh in the preseason MW Coaches' Poll. The 'Dogs play five of their last seven regular season matches at home, starting with home matches against Boise State at 7 p.m. Thursday and Utah State at 1 p.m. Saturday, and the support of the home crowd will continue to be a big factor.

"Throughout all sports here at Fresno State, the community has our backs and it means so much to play for you all each week," Dzubak says to the Red Wave. "Our program thrives off the community support and is going in the right direction that everyone can be excited about. We thank you for all your support this season. We would not be in the position we are without you!"

"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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Fresno State Athletics

Central Valley stars leading Bulldog Volleyball to breakout season

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Players Mentioned

Emily Dzubak

Maggie Eppright

Jessica Gilbert

Madelyn Halteman

Brielle Hefner

Jocelyn Rodriguez

Taylor Slover

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