‘Dogs move to 2-0 with a 3-1 win over tournament host Eastern Illinois

Friday, August 24

Charleston, Ill.

5 P.M. PT

Fresno State

2-0

Eastern Illinois

1-1

Fresno State

Eastern Illinois

Photo by: Sandy King/Eastern Illinois

‘Dogs move to 2-0 with a 3-1 win over tournament host Eastern Illinois

8/24/2018 8:06:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Sophomore Reagan Leonard broke the single-match program record with 38 digs and senior Jessica Gilbert had a career-high 19 kills and 15 digs as Fresno State improved to 2-0 on the season with a 3-1 (25-14, 20-25, 25-17, 25-17) win over host Eastern Illinois at the EIU Panther Invitational.

Fresno State (2-0) has started 2-0 for the third consecutive season, as the 'Dogs opened their year with a 3-2 win over Valparaiso earlier Friday. Eastern Illinois (1-1) had recorded a 3-0 sweep of Saint Francis (PA) in its first match of the tournament but was held to sub-.100 hitting percentages in three of four sets against the Bulldogs. The victory also extended Fresno State's streak to eight consecutive seasons winning its first true road match of the year.

In just her second career start at libero, Leonard's 38 digs broke the previous single-match program record (rally scoring era) of 37 digs, set by Mounia Nihipali vs. San Jose State in 2004. Gilbert had tallied 13 kills in the Valparaiso match before going off for 19 with a .289 hitting percentage against EIU. Taylor Slover had her second double-double of the day with 15 kills and 14 digs while Haile Watson had nine kills and four blocks and Madelyn Halteman tallied 47 assists in the win.

How it Happened
Fresno State dominated the first set as it did in its season opener against Valparaiso. The Bulldogs hit above .500 for most of the set and ended up outhitting EIU .464-.051 with a 4-0 edge in blocks. Watson had four kills and three blocks in the opening set as the Bulldogs jumped to a 7-3 lead and ended the set on a 7-2 run to easily take a 1-0 lead.

Also in similar fashion to the team's opener, the 'Dogs got down early in the second set as the Panthers led 6-2. Fresno State got back within a 13-11 deficit but a 6-1 run gave the Panthers a big 19-12 lead. EIU had four blocks in the set and after none in the opening set and hit .407 to even the match with a 25-20 set win.

Fresno State used a 7-1 run midway through the third set to turn a 15-14 lead into a 22-15 advantage. Gilbert had eight kills in the third set while the 'Dogs held EIU to .083 hitting and closed out a 25-17 win on an ace from Slover.

The Bulldogs would go on to win the fourth set by the same 25-17 margin to finish the match. Fresno State led for the entire set, using a 5-0 run to move from an 18-15 lead to an insurmountable 23-15 advantage. Gilbert rounded out her night with a team-high five kills in the fourth set as the 'Dogs clinched the match on the fifth kill of the night from Montez Uigaese.

Quotes

Head Coach Jonathan Winder

"Today was a great learning experience for our new group. We played two tough teams that pushed us to play consistent and make adjustments. We had great support from the whole team in both matches where the players came in ready to contribute in good ways."

"We served tough and played relentless defense in both matches which allowed us to extend some long rallies. The team is playing with great energy and enthusiasm as we continue to put our offensive and defensive systems in place."

Notes

Gilbert had set a new personal Fresno State career high with 13 kills in the first match on Friday. Her 19 kills topped her overall career high of 17 kills, achieved as a freshman at Eastern Washington in 2015.
Fresno State's 100 total digs in the match were just seven shy of the four-set program record of 107 set in 2004.
The Bulldogs recorded four double-doubles (two by Slover, one by Halteman, one by Gilbert) in their first two matches of the season. The team had seven total double-doubles in 30 matches last year.
Fresno State will look to extend to a 3-0 start to the season for the second time in the last three years. The 2016 Bulldogs opened the year at 5-0.

What's Next
Fresno State concludes play at the EIU Panther Invitational on Saturday, facing Saint Francis (PA) at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time. The Red Flash lost twice on Friday, falling to Eastern Illinois 3-0 before a 3-1 loss against Valparaiso.

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