Bulldogs host San Jose State Thursday, Nevada for Senior Day Saturday

Thursday, November 15

Fresno, Calif.

7 P.M. PT

Fresno State

San Jose State

Bulldogs host San Jose State Thursday, Nevada for Senior Day Saturday

11/14/2018 11:52:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

San Jose State (14-11, 9-7 MW) at Fresno State (20-8, 12-3 MW)
Nov. 15, 2018 • 7:00 PM PT • Save Mart Center (3,333) • Fresno, Calif.
Watch: MW Network
Live: Live Stats • Live Updates on Twitter (@FresnoStateVB)
Series History • Streak: San Jose State leads 51-34 • FS W 1
Promotions:

Community Groups Night
- Valley Dream Center
- Every Neighborhood Partnership
- Off The Front
- HandsOn Central California
A representative from Valley Dream Center will deliver the first serve
National Anthem performance by Madeleine Vellandi

Nevada (8-19, 1-15 MW) at Fresno State (20-8, 12-3 MW)
Nov. 17, 2018 • 1:00 PM PT • Save Mart Center (3,333) • Fresno, Calif.
Watch: MW Network
Live: Live Stats • Live Updates on Twitter (@FresnoStateVB)
Series History • Streak: Nevada leads 27-26 • FS W 1
Promotions:

Senior Day Ceremony Pregame
Watch parents start off the match with the first serve to their senior Student-Athletes
Breakdancing performance by DJ Nayte's breakdancing group at intermission
Team of the Game: Figarden Elementary School
Senior citizens (55 years and older) get in free

Complete Weekly Release (PDF)

Bulldog Bones

Fresno State has clinched at least second place in the MW, its best finish since joining the league
The Bulldogs can still earn a MW title and NCAA bid with three wins and two Colorado State losses
With 20 total wins the 'Dogs have their most victories in a season since the 2003 team finished 21-7
Reagan Leonard has become just the third player in program history to top 500 digs in a season
Fresno State beat both San Jose State and Nevada on the road and is 8-2 at home this season

Scouting San Jose State (14-11, 9-7 MW)

Since losing to the Bulldogs at home on Oct. 20 the Spartans have gone 5-1, including a road sweep over an injury-depleted Boise State. San Jose State has won eight of its last 10 matches.
In conference play San Jose State leads the league with 1.85 service aces per set and ranks second in digs per set (14.90) and third in both kills per set (12.90) and assists (12.10) per set.
Last week SJSU libero Luiza Andrade surpassed Reagan Leonard for the MW lead averaging 4.95 digs per set. Andrade also ranks second in the league with 0.58 aces per set in MW play.
Madelyn Halteman totaled 52 assists, 13 digs, four aces, four blocks, and three kills to lead the Bulldogs to a 3-1 in San Jose earlier this year after the Spartans beat the 'Dogs twice last year.

Scouting Nevada (8-19, 1-15 MW)

After starting the year 7-2 Nevada is 1-17 over its last 18 matches, with its only win a 3-2 home victory over Utah State. The Wolf Pack have lost 12 straight matches since that win on Sept. 29.
Nevada does have four 5-set losses in MW play but is 1-11 on the road this year, 0-7 MW.
In conference play the Wolf Pack rank third in the MW averaging 14.51 digs per set but rank second to last in the league in hitting percentage, opponent hit percentage, kills, and blocks.
The Wolf Pack took the first set against the Bulldogs on Oct. 18 in Reno but the 'Dogs had a 13-6 edge in blocks in the match and held Nevada to a .168 hitting percentage in a 3-1 win.
Fresno State can even its all-time series with Nevada at 27-27 with a win on Saturday.

Best MW Season

At 12-3 in MW play, Fresno State trails only Colorado State (14-2) for the conference lead as has clinched at least a second place finish in the conference standings, the best in program history and the first second place or better conference finish since the 2003 team was second in the WAC West division.
Since joining the MW in 2012 the highest the 'Dogs had ever finished in the league was 4th place. The team finished in eighth place or lower in each of the last four seasons and was picked seventh in the 2018 preseason MW Coaches' Poll.
Fresno State has also broken the program record for conference wins in any league, as the team had never won more than 11 matches as a member of any conference.

Title on the Line

Heading into the final week of the regular season Fresno State has a shot to catch Colorado State for the MW title.
The Rams, who have two home matches remaining against UNLV and New Mexico, can clinch a share of the MW title and the NCAA automatic berth with one win and would secure an outright league title with two wins.
Fresno State would need to win all three of its remaining matches and have the Rams lose twice to win the league outright and earn the NCAA bid. The 'Dogs could earn a share of the title with three wins and one CSU loss, but if the teams finished tied the Rams get the NCAA bid by virtue of owning the tiebreaker.

NIVCing You?

In securing second place in the MW the Bulldogs have clinched an automatic bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) should the team not earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The NIVC is a 32-40 team single elimination bracketed tournament, with the field to be announced on Nov. 25 following the NCAA Tournament selections. First round games will be played Nov. 29 or 30 and second round games will be Dec. 1 or 2 with four teams all at the same host school site. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be the following week and the championship match is scheduled for Dec. 11.
The NIVC is in its second year of rebirth after previously taking place from 1989-1996. Fresno State has competed in the event three times before with its last appearance in 1994.

Racking Up the Wins

With a 20-8 overall record Fresno State has its most wins in 15 years, since the 2003 team finished the year 21-7. Fresno State won 23 matches in 2002 but hasn't won more than that since the 1997 team was 24-9.
Fresno State's 8-win improvement over last season, in which the team finished 12-18, is the biggest increase since the 2009 team won eight more matches than in 2008.

Fantastic First Year

Jonathan Winder is one of just three first year coaches in NCAA Div. I to have recorded 20 wins this season, joining Tennessee's Eve Rackham and Navy's Paco Labrador, who both have 21 victories.
Winder is one win shy of the Fresno State record for wins by a coach in his or her first season with the program. Lindy Vivas won 21 matches in her first season in 1991.

Home Cooking

Dating back to the 2016 season the Bulldogs have won 17 of their last 22 home matches.
Fresno State is 8-2 in the Save Mart Center this year, playing three straight home matches to close the regular season.
The squad has clinched a winning home record for the third straight year and the sixth time in the last seven seasons.

Third Set Rocks

Fresno State is undefeated (11-0) this season when winning the third set in a match that goes four or five sets. The 'Dogs are 17-0 overall when winning the third set with six 3-0 sweeps.
Fresno State has played at least four sets in 19 of 28 matches this season with seven 5-set matches. The team is playing just under four sets per match on average.

Super Support

Fresno State is one of just four NCAA Div. I schools in California averaging more than 1,000 fans per match and ranks second in the MW in average attendance, trailing only 14-time MW champion Colorado State.
The team has topped 1,000 fans in seven of 10 home matches this year. By comparison, the 'Dogs have played only one road match this season (of 12) in which the opponent had more than 1,000 fans (at Colorado State).
The 'Dogs have a higher average home attendance than Pac-12 schools Cal and Washington State.

Block Party

Seniors Jessica Gilbert and Haile Watson have been a formidable pair at middle blocker as the 'Dogs ranks second in the league with 2.68 blocks per set in MW matches.
Gilbert had a career-high and team season-high 11 blocks in the win at UNLV, just two blocks shy of the 4-set program record, and has 33 blocks in the last seven matches.
In MW play, Watson is second in the league averaging 1.39 blocks per set and has tallied at least four blocks in 13 of 15 matches.

All-Around Star

Senior Taylor Slover has recorded double-doubles in eight MW matches and is third in the league with 14 double-doubles this year, the most by a Bulldog since Zana Bowens had 15 double-doubles in the 2014 season.
Slover is leading the 'Dogs in kills per set (3.68) and points per set (4.25) for the second straight season and this year she is also tied for the team lead with 31 service aces and is second on the team with 2.60 digs per set.
She has recorded double-digit kills in 25 of 28 matches and has led the team in kills in every MW match.

Better Blocking

Fresno State has had the same or more blocks than its opponent in 21 of 28 matches this year.
The Bulldogs are 19-2 this season when having the same or more blocks than their opponent but 1-6 when trailing in blocks.

She Can Dig It

Sophomore Reagan Leonard ranks second in the MW averaging 4.63 digs per set this season and has become just the third player in program history to record 500 digs in a season.
Her current digs per set average would be the third best in a season in program history and she could challenge the single-season program record of 573 digs, set by Bulldog assistant coach Maggie Eppright in 2015.
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.

First Set Success

The 'Dogs won the first set in each of their first seven MW matches and in 18 of 28 total matches this year
Fresno State is 16-2 this year when winning the first set and 4-6 when losing it.

Winning on the Road

The Bulldogs are 9-3 in true road matches this season and broke the program record for road MW wins going 7-2.
The 'Dogs won seven MW road matches after the 2016 and 2017 teams combined to go 2-16 in road MW (both were 1-8).
Fresno State will end the season with a winning road record for the first time since 2013.

Central Valley Stars

Five of Fresno State's seven starters (six + libero) in conference play are local products from the Central Valley.
Madelyn Halteman (Turlock), Taylor Slover (Visalia), Jessica Gilbert (Modesto), Jocelyn Rodriguez (Clovis) and Emily Dzubak (Stockton) have led the Bulldog resurgence this season. Brielle Hefner (Madera) is out due to injury but is also a local player that has been a starter during her career.

On Service

Fresno State is undefeated (13-0) when leading or tied in aces and 7-8 when trailing its opponent in aces.
The 'Dogs are averaging 1.49 aces per set in their 20 wins compared to 1.00 aces per set in the eight losses.

Breakout Star

Senior Jessica Gilbert moved into the starting lineup this season and changed from outside hitter to middle blocker at the start of MW play.
In conference play she leads the team and ranks fifth in the MW with a .296 hitting percentage and for the season she is second on the team averaging 2.46 kills per set.
In her first season with the 'Dogs in 2017 after transferring from Eastern Washington, Gilbert played in just 12 matches while totaling 22 kills.

Getting Defensive

In MW matches the 'Dogs lead the league with 15.02 digs per set and are also second in opposing hitting percentage (.163), holding 10 MW foes below a .200 hit percentage, and second in blocks per set (2.68).
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.

"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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