Fresno State Athletics
‘Dogs host Fresno Pacific for home opener Tuesday
8/27/2018 3:03:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Fresno Pacific (0-4) at Fresno State (3-0)
Aug. 28, 2018 • 6:00 PM • Save Mart Center (3,333) • Fresno, Calif.
Video: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: Sideram Stats • Live Updates on Twitter (@FresnoStateVB)
Series History: Fresno Pacific leads 7-5
Streak: Fresno State Won 5 (four straight sweeps)
Promotions:
Fresno Pacific is 0-4 after losing each of its four matches last weekend at the Falcon-Wildcat Invite in Seattle. The Thunderbirds won only one set in four matches with three 3-0 losses. An NCAA Div. II program, Fresno Pacific was picked to finish seventh among 12 teams in the PacWest conference. The Sunbirds returned seven players from a team that finished 12-17 overall last season and are hitting just .103 as a team with only 10.00 kills per set so far this season. Fresno State has swept Fresno Pacific 3-0 in each of the last four seasons.
Spectacular Start
• Fresno State opened the 2018 season by winning all three of its matches to claim the tournament title at the EIU Panther Invitational.
• Sophomore Reagan Leonard was named MVP of the tournament while Taylor Slover also made the All-Tournament team as the 'Dogs scored wins over Valparaiso, Eastern Illinois, and Saint Francis (PA).
Digging History
• In just her second career start at libero Reagan Leonard broke the single-match program record with 38 digs in the 'Dogs 3-1 win over 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.
• Leonard had at least 21 digs in all three matches to average 5.71 digs per set for the week, nearly a dig better than any other MW player in the opening week of the season.
• For her efforts Leonard was named MVP of the EIU Panther Invitational as well as MW Defensive Player of the Week.
Breakout Weekend
• Senior Jessica Gilbert made her first starts as a Bulldog last week and led the team with 3.50 kills per set and 4.39 points per set while hitting .294. She also averaged 1.79 digs and 0.86 blocks per set.
• Gilbert had at least 13 kills in all three matches and hit .250 or better in each of them. She had career highs of 19 kills and 15 digs against Eastern Illinois to earn her first double-double.
• In her first season with the 'Dogs in 2017 after transferring from Eastern Washington, Gilbert played in just 12 matches and 21 sets while totaling 22 kills.
Starting Strong
• The Bulldogs have now won their season opener in eight of the last 11 seasons. The 'Dogs have also started 2-0 in each of the last three seasons, extending to a 5-0 start in 2016.
• Fresno State has an even more impressive winning streak in its first true road game of the season, having now won eight straight road openers. The last time the 'Dogs lost their first road game of the season was at Utah Valley in 2010.
Home Cooking
• Dating back to the 2016 season the Bulldogs have won nine of their last 12 home matches.
• Fresno State was 7-3 at home last season, outblocking its opponents 124-76 at home while outhitting the opposition .222-.178 over 38 home sets.
• The squad has had a winning home record in each of the last two years and in five of the last six seasons.
Going Long
• Fresno State played 14 of a possible 15 sets in its three matches last weekend, playing a pair of five-set matches and a four-setter.
• The squad has played its most sets through the first three matches of a season since the 2013 team began the year with three straight five-set matches.
Double-Double Madness
• The Bulldogs recorded five double-doubles in three matches at Eastern Illinois. The team had a grand total of seven double-doubles in 30 matches last season.
• Madelyn Halteman and Taylor Slover each had two double-doubles while Jessica Gilbert had one. The 'Dogs had at least one double-double in all three matches with two against both Eastern Illinois and Valparaiso.
Strong Support
• Fresno State ranked fourth in the Mountain West averaging 801 fans over ten official home dates last season.
• Factoring in the 1,297 fans that saw the exhibition match vs. Fresno Pacific, the 'Dogs home average would have been the third highest average among conference teams.
Welcome Back
• Fresno State returns the majority of its 2017 roster for the 2018 season as five starters and 11 total players represent more the 75% of the 2018 team.
• Half of the team is comprised of seniors, as seven seniors, one junior, and four sophomores return with a total of 18 years of playing experience as Bulldogs.
Welcome Aboard
• Mixing with the veteran roster is a new coaching staff led by former Washington indoor volleyball assistant and head beach volleyball coach Jonathan Winder. His assistant coaches are Hardy Wooldridge and former Bulldog libero Maggie Eppright.
• The 'Dogs also have three new players in freshmen Kava Durr and Lauren Sabbatini and sophomore transfer Jocelyn Rodriguez, who played as a freshman at San Francisco State.
Fantastic Finish
• The Bulldogs ended the 2017 season on a very high note, winning three of their last four matches with consecutive home wins to end the year.
• Fresno State earned an impressive 3-1 win over Wyoming in its penultimate match of the season, knocking off a Cowgirl squad that finished second in the MW and advanced to the NIVC postseason tournament, then swept UNLV 3-0 with a 25-8 final set to end the season.
Seven Seniors
• Fresno State leads all MW schools with seven seniors on its 2018 roster. The seniors have totaled 13 years of playing experience with the program.
• Air Force is second in the MW with five seniors while no other team has more than three. The other 10 MW schools have 19 total seniors, an average of less than two seniors per team.
You're Invited
• For the first time since the 2016 season the Bulldogs will host a tournament this year with the inaugural Fresno State Invitational Aug. 30-Sept. 1 in the Save Mart Center.
• The 'Dogs welcome reigning Patriot League champion American along with Saint Mary's, San Francisco, and Cal Baptist for the three-day, eight match tournament.
• Fresno State will face American, Saint Mary's, and San Francisco while Cal Baptist will play only neutral site matches.
Alumnae Opener
• The Bulldogs played their annual Alumnae Match on Saturday, with the 2018 squad earning a 4-0 win.
• Haile Watson led the 'Dogs with 13 kills while hitting .579 and Taylor Slover tallied 10 kills, four aces, 12 digs and a block. Montez Uigaese had nine kills and led the team with six blocks and Madelyn Halteman totaled 35 assists.
Block Party
• In 2017 the Bulldogs were second in the MW and ranked 17th in NCAA Div. I with 2.76 blocks per set.
• Fresno State's 311.5 blocks in 2017 were the second most in a season in program history (rally scoring era). The total was just 4.5 blocks shy of the single season program record of 316.0 blocks, set in 2003.
• Fresno State recorded double-digit blocks in 16 matches last year, including 10 of the last 17, and had more blocks than its opponent 17 times. The team broke the three-set program-record with 21.0 blocks vs. CSU Bakersfield, an NCAA season high for a three set match.
Big Time Blocker
• Senior Haile Watson was second in the Mountain West last season averaging 1.38 blocks per set in conference matches. Overall she ranked second in the MW and 34th in NCAA Div. I with 1.31 blocks per set last year.
• Watson became the first player in program history to tally 10 blocks in a three-set match, vs. CSU Bakersfield. She set a new career-high with 12 blocks at Air Force, tying for the second most blocks in a five-set match in program history.
• Watson had the fifth most blocks in a season in program history and enters her senior year ranked 7th in program history with 1.12 blocks per set for her career.
Championship Pedigree
• New Fresno State head coach Jonathan Winder has won championships throughout his career as a player and coach.
• At Washington, Winder helped lead the Huskies to a pair of Pac-12 indoor championships and multiple weeks with the No. 1 national ranking with consecutive NCAA Elite Eight appearances.
• During his playing career, Winder led Pepperdine to the 2004 National Championship as well as three MPSF conference titles and helped team USA win the 2007 Pan American Cup.
'Dogs Picked Seventh
• Fresno State was picked seventh in the preseason MW Coaches' Poll. The 'Dogs received 39 points in the poll to be picked ahead of Utah State, Air Force, Nevada, and UNLV in the 11-team league. Colorado State earned 10 first-place votes and was picked to repeat as conference champion.
• The 7th-place pick was three spots higher than the 'Dogs were voted last season when the coaches picked Fresno State to finish 10th. The Bulldogs finished tied for eighth in the league in 2017.
Loaded Schedule
• In 2018 the Bulldogs will play three matches vs. 2017 NCAA Tournament teams and have five contests against teams that played in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) last year. The squad will also face a Pac-12 foe for the second consecutive season, taking on Cal in Portland.
• The 'Dogs play MW champion Colorado State twice and face defending Patriot League champion and NCAA qualifier American. UC Irvine reached the third round of the NIVC last season while MW squads Wyoming and Boise State also made the 2017 postseason.
• In 2017 Fresno State had three wins against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams, beating UNLV twice and defeating 2016 SWAC champion Alabama State.
"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
Aug. 28, 2018 • 6:00 PM • Save Mart Center (3,333) • Fresno, Calif.
Video: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: Sideram Stats • Live Updates on Twitter (@FresnoStateVB)
Series History: Fresno Pacific leads 7-5
Streak: Fresno State Won 5 (four straight sweeps)
Promotions:
- Valley Pride Night and Greek Night
- Make some noise for a "Go 'Dogs Go" T-Shirt
- First serve by the Greek Life President whose house has the largest attendance
- Come take a picture with our new Pride of the Valley banner
- Greek Student pizza eating contest during the match with a gift card for the winner's house
- Former Greek students wearing their letters get in free
- Exclusive pregame Dog Pound T-Shirt pickup for students
Fresno Pacific is 0-4 after losing each of its four matches last weekend at the Falcon-Wildcat Invite in Seattle. The Thunderbirds won only one set in four matches with three 3-0 losses. An NCAA Div. II program, Fresno Pacific was picked to finish seventh among 12 teams in the PacWest conference. The Sunbirds returned seven players from a team that finished 12-17 overall last season and are hitting just .103 as a team with only 10.00 kills per set so far this season. Fresno State has swept Fresno Pacific 3-0 in each of the last four seasons.
Spectacular Start
• Fresno State opened the 2018 season by winning all three of its matches to claim the tournament title at the EIU Panther Invitational.
• Sophomore Reagan Leonard was named MVP of the tournament while Taylor Slover also made the All-Tournament team as the 'Dogs scored wins over Valparaiso, Eastern Illinois, and Saint Francis (PA).
Digging History
• In just her second career start at libero Reagan Leonard broke the single-match program record with 38 digs in the 'Dogs 3-1 win over 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.
• Leonard had at least 21 digs in all three matches to average 5.71 digs per set for the week, nearly a dig better than any other MW player in the opening week of the season.
• For her efforts Leonard was named MVP of the EIU Panther Invitational as well as MW Defensive Player of the Week.
Breakout Weekend
• Senior Jessica Gilbert made her first starts as a Bulldog last week and led the team with 3.50 kills per set and 4.39 points per set while hitting .294. She also averaged 1.79 digs and 0.86 blocks per set.
• Gilbert had at least 13 kills in all three matches and hit .250 or better in each of them. She had career highs of 19 kills and 15 digs against Eastern Illinois to earn her first double-double.
• In her first season with the 'Dogs in 2017 after transferring from Eastern Washington, Gilbert played in just 12 matches and 21 sets while totaling 22 kills.
Starting Strong
• The Bulldogs have now won their season opener in eight of the last 11 seasons. The 'Dogs have also started 2-0 in each of the last three seasons, extending to a 5-0 start in 2016.
• Fresno State has an even more impressive winning streak in its first true road game of the season, having now won eight straight road openers. The last time the 'Dogs lost their first road game of the season was at Utah Valley in 2010.
Home Cooking
• Dating back to the 2016 season the Bulldogs have won nine of their last 12 home matches.
• Fresno State was 7-3 at home last season, outblocking its opponents 124-76 at home while outhitting the opposition .222-.178 over 38 home sets.
• The squad has had a winning home record in each of the last two years and in five of the last six seasons.
Going Long
• Fresno State played 14 of a possible 15 sets in its three matches last weekend, playing a pair of five-set matches and a four-setter.
• The squad has played its most sets through the first three matches of a season since the 2013 team began the year with three straight five-set matches.
Double-Double Madness
• The Bulldogs recorded five double-doubles in three matches at Eastern Illinois. The team had a grand total of seven double-doubles in 30 matches last season.
• Madelyn Halteman and Taylor Slover each had two double-doubles while Jessica Gilbert had one. The 'Dogs had at least one double-double in all three matches with two against both Eastern Illinois and Valparaiso.
Strong Support
• Fresno State ranked fourth in the Mountain West averaging 801 fans over ten official home dates last season.
• Factoring in the 1,297 fans that saw the exhibition match vs. Fresno Pacific, the 'Dogs home average would have been the third highest average among conference teams.
Welcome Back
• Fresno State returns the majority of its 2017 roster for the 2018 season as five starters and 11 total players represent more the 75% of the 2018 team.
• Half of the team is comprised of seniors, as seven seniors, one junior, and four sophomores return with a total of 18 years of playing experience as Bulldogs.
Welcome Aboard
• Mixing with the veteran roster is a new coaching staff led by former Washington indoor volleyball assistant and head beach volleyball coach Jonathan Winder. His assistant coaches are Hardy Wooldridge and former Bulldog libero Maggie Eppright.
• The 'Dogs also have three new players in freshmen Kava Durr and Lauren Sabbatini and sophomore transfer Jocelyn Rodriguez, who played as a freshman at San Francisco State.
Fantastic Finish
• The Bulldogs ended the 2017 season on a very high note, winning three of their last four matches with consecutive home wins to end the year.
• Fresno State earned an impressive 3-1 win over Wyoming in its penultimate match of the season, knocking off a Cowgirl squad that finished second in the MW and advanced to the NIVC postseason tournament, then swept UNLV 3-0 with a 25-8 final set to end the season.
Seven Seniors
• Fresno State leads all MW schools with seven seniors on its 2018 roster. The seniors have totaled 13 years of playing experience with the program.
• Air Force is second in the MW with five seniors while no other team has more than three. The other 10 MW schools have 19 total seniors, an average of less than two seniors per team.
You're Invited
• For the first time since the 2016 season the Bulldogs will host a tournament this year with the inaugural Fresno State Invitational Aug. 30-Sept. 1 in the Save Mart Center.
• The 'Dogs welcome reigning Patriot League champion American along with Saint Mary's, San Francisco, and Cal Baptist for the three-day, eight match tournament.
• Fresno State will face American, Saint Mary's, and San Francisco while Cal Baptist will play only neutral site matches.
Alumnae Opener
• The Bulldogs played their annual Alumnae Match on Saturday, with the 2018 squad earning a 4-0 win.
• Haile Watson led the 'Dogs with 13 kills while hitting .579 and Taylor Slover tallied 10 kills, four aces, 12 digs and a block. Montez Uigaese had nine kills and led the team with six blocks and Madelyn Halteman totaled 35 assists.
Block Party
• In 2017 the Bulldogs were second in the MW and ranked 17th in NCAA Div. I with 2.76 blocks per set.
• Fresno State's 311.5 blocks in 2017 were the second most in a season in program history (rally scoring era). The total was just 4.5 blocks shy of the single season program record of 316.0 blocks, set in 2003.
• Fresno State recorded double-digit blocks in 16 matches last year, including 10 of the last 17, and had more blocks than its opponent 17 times. The team broke the three-set program-record with 21.0 blocks vs. CSU Bakersfield, an NCAA season high for a three set match.
Big Time Blocker
• Senior Haile Watson was second in the Mountain West last season averaging 1.38 blocks per set in conference matches. Overall she ranked second in the MW and 34th in NCAA Div. I with 1.31 blocks per set last year.
• Watson became the first player in program history to tally 10 blocks in a three-set match, vs. CSU Bakersfield. She set a new career-high with 12 blocks at Air Force, tying for the second most blocks in a five-set match in program history.
• Watson had the fifth most blocks in a season in program history and enters her senior year ranked 7th in program history with 1.12 blocks per set for her career.
Championship Pedigree
• New Fresno State head coach Jonathan Winder has won championships throughout his career as a player and coach.
• At Washington, Winder helped lead the Huskies to a pair of Pac-12 indoor championships and multiple weeks with the No. 1 national ranking with consecutive NCAA Elite Eight appearances.
• During his playing career, Winder led Pepperdine to the 2004 National Championship as well as three MPSF conference titles and helped team USA win the 2007 Pan American Cup.
'Dogs Picked Seventh
• Fresno State was picked seventh in the preseason MW Coaches' Poll. The 'Dogs received 39 points in the poll to be picked ahead of Utah State, Air Force, Nevada, and UNLV in the 11-team league. Colorado State earned 10 first-place votes and was picked to repeat as conference champion.
• The 7th-place pick was three spots higher than the 'Dogs were voted last season when the coaches picked Fresno State to finish 10th. The Bulldogs finished tied for eighth in the league in 2017.
Loaded Schedule
• In 2018 the Bulldogs will play three matches vs. 2017 NCAA Tournament teams and have five contests against teams that played in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) last year. The squad will also face a Pac-12 foe for the second consecutive season, taking on Cal in Portland.
• The 'Dogs play MW champion Colorado State twice and face defending Patriot League champion and NCAA qualifier American. UC Irvine reached the third round of the NIVC last season while MW squads Wyoming and Boise State also made the 2017 postseason.
• In 2017 Fresno State had three wins against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams, beating UNLV twice and defeating 2016 SWAC champion Alabama State.
"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
Players Mentioned
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L/DS
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/ Women's Volleyball
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