Bulldogs take 3-1 loss at Boise State

Saturday, October 6

Boise, Idaho

9 A.M. PT

Fresno State

12-6, 4-1MW

Boise State

11-6, 3-3MW

Fresno State

Boise State

Bulldogs take 3-1 loss at Boise State

10/6/2018 2:08:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

BOISE, Idaho – Fresno State earned a 25-17 first set win but Boise State came back to take the next three to defend its home court with a 3-1 (17-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-19) win on Saturday morning.

Fresno State (12-5, 4-1 MW) took its first MW loss, joining New Mexico (5-1 MW) as the only teams in the league with just one loss. The 'Dogs continued their strong defensively play, holding Boise State (11-6, 3-3 MW) to .187 hitting, but Fresno State had its lowest hitting percentage in MW play at .153.

Aubrey Folk and Taylor Slover each had 12 kills and Kava Durr totaled 10. Durr and Haile Watson both had four blocks while Madelyn Halteman tallied 43 assists and seven digs and Reagan Leonard had a match-high 23 digs. The 'Dogs outdug the Broncos, 61-53, but Boise State had a 12.0-10.0 advantage in blocks and a 7-3 edge in service aces.

How it Happened
Fresno State got off to a tremendous start, hitting .519 with 18 kills and just four attack errors in the first set. Folk was virtually unstoppable in the first set, hitting .875 with seven kills in just eight swings, while the 'Dogs held Boise State to .154 hitting in the period. Boise State had an early 5-3 lead before Fresno State went on a 6-1 run to take a lead it would not relinquish. The 'Dogs built a 20-12 lead and closed it out on their second set point.

After the 'Dogs scored the first point of the second set, Boise State had an 8-0 run take a big lead. Fresno State battled back to trail just 16-15, but four straight points from the Broncos gave the home team a comfortable lead. Janell Walley had 10 kills in the set for Boise State as they evened up the match at one set apiece.

The Bulldogs hit -.027 in the third set but, after falling behind 21-12, made a huge run to get back into it. Fresno State went on a 7-0 spurt, during which Boise State called both of its timeouts, to climb all the way back to just a 21-19 deficit. The Broncos scored three of the next four points to reach set point at 24-20, but a Boise State service error and a kill from Folk made it 24-22. The comeback bid would fall short, however, as a Bronco kill ended the set.

Boise State hit a match-best .297 in the fourth set to close out the match. The set was tied at 11-11 before the Broncos notched five straight points to lead 16-11. The Broncos had four blocks in the set and held the 'Dogs to a .100 hitting percentage to reach match point at 24-18. Folk's 12^th kill of the match kept the 'Dogs alive before Jessica Donahue landed her 13^th kill to end the Bronco win.

Notes

Through five MW matches Fresno State is still holding its conference foes to just a .125 hitting percentage while the 'Dogs are hitting .204.
The 'Dogs had fewer blocks than their opponent for just the fifth time this season.
Boise State, which was picked tied for third in the preseason MW Coaches' Poll, has now won nine consecutive meetings with the Bulldogs.
Leonard is now averaging better than five digs per set (5.06) in MW play.
Starting middle blocker Montez Uigaese missed her fourth straight match due to injury.

What's Next
The Bulldogs return home to host UNLV on Thursday at 7 p.m. and New Mexico at 1 p.m. next Saturday in what could be a match for first place in the league.

"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