Bulldogs rally for five-set win over Valparaiso in season opener

Friday, August 24

Charleston, Ill.

8 A.M. PT

Fresno State

1-0

Valparaiso

0-1

Valparaiso

Fresno State

Photo by: Sandy King/Eastern Illinois

Bulldogs rally for five-set win over Valparaiso in season opener

8/24/2018 12:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

CHARLESTON, Ill. – In its season opener and first match and under new head coach Jonathan Winder, Fresno State rallied from down two sets to one and earned a 15-10 win in the deciding fifth set in a 3-2 (25-15, 25-27, 18-25, 25-18, 15-10) victory over Valparaiso in the first match of the EIU Panther Invitational.

Fresno State won its season opener for the third straight year and the eighth time in the last 11 seasons. The 'Dogs outblocked Valparaiso 9-6 and had a .243-.181 advantage in hitting percentage. The Bulldogs also totaled 12 service aces, their most in a match since the 2016 season, while Valparaiso had just two.

Two Bulldogs had double-doubles as Taylor Slover had a team-high 16 kills and a career-high 20 digs and Madelyn Halteman had 48 assists and 12 digs. Jessica Gilbert tallied 13 kills, six digs, a team-high four aces, and three blocks while Haile Watson totaled 10 kills and four blocks and Montez Uigaese and Reagan Leonard had career-highs of five blocks and 21 digs, respectively.

How it Happened
Fresno State dominated the first set of the season, holding Valparaiso to -.027 hitting in the period. The 'Dogs held just an 8-7 lead before an 8-0 run gave Fresno State a commanding 16-7 lead. Valparaiso got no closer than a seven-point deficit for the remainder of the set as the 'Dogs had three blocks and three aces to take it 25-15.

The momentum continued into the second set as the Bulldogs jumped to a quick 5-1 lead. The 'Dogs led by five points at 12-7 and had a 15-11 lead before an 8-2 run by the Crusaders gave them a 19-17 lead. Each team had a set point that they were unable to win and, with the score tied at 25-25, Valparaiso got consecutive kills from Ally Cummings and Peyton McCarthy to take the set and even the match.

Valparaiso had a 7-2 lead early in the third set and maintained an advantage for the duration. Despite hitting .171 in the set, Fresno State trailed just 15-13 but a pair of 4-0 runs by the Crusaders gave them a 2-1 overall lead.

In the fourth, the 'Dogs held Valpo to a .059 hitting percentage with five blocks. Slover and Uigaese each had three blocks in the set, while Slover also had five kills, five digs, and two aces. The 'Dogs trailed the set 9-8 before a 5-0 run, going on to earn seven of the next eight points. The Crusaders got within a 21-18 deficit but Fresno State closed the set with three straight points.

Senior Aubrey Folk gave the Bulldogs a spark in the fifth set tallying five kills. Consecutive kills by Folk gave the Bulldogs a 5-2 lead, and leading 10-8 Fresno State scored four straight points to reach match point at 14-8. Valparaiso dodged two match points before Gilbert's 13^th kill of the matched clinched it for the 'Dogs.

Notes

Fresno State had just two fewer digs than Valparaiso, which led NCAA Div. I with 20.03 digs per set last season.
Halteman and Slover both had double-doubles in the same match for the third time, having done so twice last season.
The Bulldogs did not play a five-set match until their ninth match last season. The 'Dogs were just 2-4 in five-set matches last year.
The Bulldogs improved to 2-0 all-time against Valparaiso, beating the Crusaders 30 years after the first meeting between the programs. That match was a 3-0 Fresno State win in 1988.
Freshman Kava Durr and sophomore transfer Jocelyn Rodriguez made their debuts as Bulldogs.
Gilbert and Durr started for the first time as Bulldogs and Leonard made her first Fresno State start at libero.

What's Next
The 'Dogs play for the second time on Friday when they face tournament host Eastern Illinois at 5 p.m. Pacific time.

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