Bulldogs look to bounce back Saturday hosting Utah State

Saturday, November 3

Fresno, Calif.

1 P.M. PT

Fresno State

Utah State

Bulldogs look to bounce back Saturday hosting Utah State

11/2/2018 12:56:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

Utah State (5-19, 3-10 MW) at Fresno State (17-8, 9-3 MW)
Nov. 3, 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: Fresno State leads 18-13 • FS W 2
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Bulldog Bones

Fresno State (9-3) sits in second place in the MW behind just Colorado State (12-2)
Dating back to the 2016 season the Bulldogs have won 16 of their last 21 home matches
In MW matches Fresno State leads the league in digs per set (15.29) and is second in kills per set (13.13)
The 'Dogs were outlasted by Boise State, 3-2, on Thursday for just their second home loss of the season.
Fresno State held Utah State to a -.045 hitting percentage in a 3-0 sweep in Logan on Oct. 4

Scouting Utah State (5-19, 3-10 MW)

Utah State started MW 1-8 but had won two of three matches before being swept, 3-0, at San Diego State on Thursday. The Aggies are 1-8 on the road this year with the lone win at San Jose State.
In conference matches the Aggies rank last in the MW in hitting percentage (.154), opponent hitting percentage (.249), and kills per set (10.24) and are second to last with 12.43 digs per set.
Senior libero Tasia Taylor is fourth in the league averaging 4.23 digs per set this season.
Fresno State held Utah State to a -.045 hitting percentage in a 3-0 sweep in Logan on Oct. 4, the first time the 'Dogs have ever held a MW opponent to a negative hitting percentage.
The 'Dogs have won two straight matches vs. Utah State and six of the last seven meetings.

Top of the Mountain

At 9-3 in MW play, Fresno State trails Colorado State (12-2) for the conference lead. No other MW team has fewer than five league losses, as Wyoming and UNLV are both 8-5 and tied for third place.
Should Fresno State and Colorado State end the season tied for the MW title, the Rams would earn the tiebreaker and the bid to the NCAA Tournament. Though the teams split their season series, CSU won four sets and the 'Dogs won three in their two head-to-head matches, giving the Rams the tiebreaker.
The 'Dogs have never won a conference championship as an NCAA program (since 1982). Fresno State did win two Northern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NCIAC) titles in 1972 and 1973 as an AIAW program.

Home Cooking

Dating back to the 2016 season the Bulldogs have won 16 of their last 21 home matches.
Fresno State was 7-3 at home last season and is 7-2 in the Save Mart Center so far this year playing five of its last seven regular season matches in Fresno.
The squad has clinched a winning home record for the third straight year and the sixth time in the last seven seasons

Big Dig Night

Five different Bulldogs recorded double-digit digs on Thursday night vs. Boise State
Senior Emily Dzubak led the way with 15 digs while Reagan Leonard (14 digs), Taylor Slover (13), Jocelyn Rodriguez (11), and Madelyn Halteman (10) also had double-digit dig totals.
The Bulldogs had 68 digs in the match, tallying more digs than their opponent for the 19th time in 25 matches this year.

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.

Historic Season

With a 17-8 overall record Fresno State already has its most wins since going 17-15 in 2013 and has its best record through 25 matches since the 2003 team began 19-6.
The fewest losses for a Bulldog team in the last 14 years was 13, in 2004 and 2012.
Fresno State is two wins shy of matching the program record for MW wins, set by the 2013 team which finished 11-9 in the league.
Since joining the MW in 2012 the highest the 'Dogs have ever finished in the league is 4th place. The team finished in eighth place or lower in each of the last four seasons.

Super Support

Fresno State is one of just five NCAA Div. I schools in California averaging more than 1,000 fans per match and has a higher average home attendance than Pac-12 schools Cal and Washington State.
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 six of nine home matches with a season-high crowd of 1,583 for Fresno State's home opener vs. local rival Fresno Pacific.

Best Conference Start

Fresno State had its best overall conference start in program history at 9-1, topping the 7-1 record the 2003 team had to begin WAC play.
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.

Getting Defensive

In MW matches the 'Dogs lead the league with 15.29 digs per set, averaging nearly one dig per set more than any other team.
Fresno State is also third in the league in blocks per set (2.58) and opposing hitting percentage (.173) in league matches, holding eight MW foes 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.

First Set Success

The 'Dogs won the first set in each of their first seven MW matches and in 16 of 25 total matches this year
Fresno State is 14-2 when winning the first set and 3-6 when losing it.

She Can Dig It

Sophomore Reagan Leonard leads the MW averaging 4.74 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 third best in a season in program history and, with 465 digs this year, she could challenge the single-season program record of 573 digs, set by current 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. 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 18 of 25 matches this year, averaging 2.36 blocks per set while allowing only 1.98 opponent blocks per set.
The Bulldogs are 16-2 this year when having the same or more blocks than their opponent but 1-6 when trailing in blocks.
In MW play Haile Watson is second in the league averaging 1.40 blocks per set and has tallied at least four blocks in 11 of 12 matches.

It's Been a While

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 home 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.
The Bulldog win at Wyoming last week was their first victory in Laramie since Oct. 26, 2013.

Stepping Up

Senior Aubrey Folk has been a big factor in the 'Dogs MW success as she has thrived with increased playing time.
Folk is second on the team with 2.63 kills per set and with 0.84 blocks per set in conference play after averaging just 1.78 kills and 0.37 blocks per set in the 13 Bulldog non-conference matches.
Folk has had double-digit kills in five MW matches and recorded four or more blocks in six league matches.

On Service

The service game has been a big factor in Fresno State's success this year as the team is 11-0 when leading in aces and 6-8 when trailing its opponent in aces.
The 'Dogs are averaging 1.57 aces per set in their 17 wins compared to 1.00 aces per set in the eight losses.
Fresno State has also cut down on its service errors, tallying more aces than errors in four of the last seven matches with a season-low two service errors at Colorado State.

All Around Star

For the second consecutive season senior Taylor Slover is leading the 'Dogs in kills per set (3.69) and points per set (4.287, and this year she is also second on the team with 28 service aces and is second with 2.49 digs per set.
Slover has recorded double-doubles in six MW matches and is third in the league with 12 double-doubles this year, the most by a Bulldog since Zana Bowens had 12 double-doubles in the 2015 season.
She has recorded double-digit kills in 22 of 25 matches and double-digit digs in 12 matches while also contributing 46 blocks.

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