Bulldogs sweep Fresno Pacific to improve to 4-0

Tuesday, August 28

Fresno, Calif.

6 P.M. PT

Fresno State

4-0

Fresno Pacific

0-5

Fresno Pacific

Fresno State

Bulldogs sweep Fresno Pacific to improve to 4-0

8/28/2018 8:48:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

FRESNO, Calif. – In the annual meeting between the two Fresno universities, Fresno State outhit Fresno Pacific .302-.036 and made quick work of the Sunbirds with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 15-9) sweep in front of more than 1,500 fans on Tuesday night in the Save Mart Center.

Fresno State (4-0) remained undefeated and has won its first four matches of the season for the second time in the last three years. The 'Dogs also swept Fresno Pacific (0-5) for the fifth consecutive season and have now won 10 of their last 13 home matches dating back to the 2016 season. Tuesday's attendance of 1,583 fans in the Bulldogs' home opener gives Fresno State the 12^th highest average home attendance among all NCAA Div. I programs so far this season.

Haile Watson had 10 kills and a team season-high seven blocks while hitting .412. Jessica Gilbert also had 10 kills along with four digs and three blocks as the Bulldogs posted an 8.0-6.0 advantage in blocks and had a 37-31 edge in digs. Jocelyn Rodriguez had a team season-high five service aces among nine total aces tallied by the 'Dogs.

How it Happened
Fresno State and Fresno Pacific stayed close through the early going in each of the first two sets. In the first set the 'Dogs turned a 10-8 advantage into a 17-8 lead, but the Sunbirds would go on a 6-0 run of their own to draw within an 18-15 deficit. Watson had five kills and three blocks in the opening set, and her fifth kill ended the FPU run and started another 7-0 spurt by the 'Dogs to close out the set 25-15.

Fresno Pacific hit .286 in the second set, its only set of the match hitting better than .000. The Sunbirds held a 12-11 lead and the set was tied at 13-13 before a 6-1 Fresno State run gave the home team a 19-14 lead. The 'Dogs had six of their nine service aces in the second set and Fresno State ended the set on a 12-3 run to take a 2-0 lead.

The third set was never close as the Bulldogs started with a 5-0 lead and extended to a 13-3 advantage. The 'Dogs held the Sunbirds to -.185 hitting in the set as FPU had just five kills and 10 attack errors. Fresno State had four blocks in the set and hit a match-best .429, ending the set on an 8-0 run to finish the sweep.

Notes

Fresno State has started the season 4-0 for the second time in the last three years. The 2016 Bulldogs began the year at 5-0.
There were 11 ties and six lead changes in the second set but no ties or lead changes at any point in the first and third sets.
Fresno State has now won the first set in all four of its matches this season and has not allowed more than 16 points in any first set.
The Bulldogs are now averaging better than two service aces per set and have a 35-17 advantage in service aces over their opponents this season.
Tuesday's crowd was nearly 300 fans higher than the Fresno State-Fresno Pacific match last season.

Quotes

Head Coach Jonathan Winder

On the team's serving…
"We want to serve really tough and to play really hard. Those are kind of two things that we pride our game on so we spend a lot of time serving and it was great to see it show up tonight. It was a big focus coming into the match and a priority for us."

On the progression of the team…
"They've gotten better every game. Every match and every practice we've been getting better. They're buying in to what we're doing and playing hard. It's neat to see us give them a little bit of feedback on the court and they do it. They might not be able to do it yet over long periods of time and that's what we really want to expand – the ability to play the game at a high level and stay in system throughout the match."

On the Fresno State Invitational matchups…
"It will be three teams that are better than the teams we've played so far. The level is going to be tougher and there will be a smaller margin for error. We're going to have to play really well over a long period of time and to have to do it for three straight days will be tough."

What's Next
Fresno State hosts the five-team, eight-match, three-day Fresno State Invitational Thursday through Saturday in the Save Mart Center with two matches Thursday, four matches Friday, and two matches on Saturday. The 'Dogs will play their first match of the tournament at 7 p.m. Thursday against Saint Mary's. The complete Fresno State Invitational schedule can be found on the Tournament Central page.

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