Bulldogs close non-conference play at LBSU Mizuno Invitational

Fresno State (7-3) vs. Southern Utah (1-8)
Sept. 14, 2018 • 10:00 AM • Walter Pyramid (4,200) • Long Beach, Calif.
Video: None
Live: Live Stats • Live Updates on Twitter (@FresnoStateVB)
Series History • Streak: Fresno State leads 1-0 • FS W 1

Fresno State (7-3) vs. UC Irvine (3-6)
Sept. 14, 2018 • 3:00 PM • Walter Pyramid (4,200) • Long Beach, Calif.
Video: None
Live: Live Stats • Live Updates on Twitter (@FresnoStateVB)
Series History • Streak: Fresno State leads 16-11 • UCI W 1

Fresno State (7-3) at Long Beach State (6-4)
Sept. 15, 2018 • 7:00 PM • Walter Pyramid (4,200) • Long Beach, Calif.
Video: BigWest.TV
Live: Live Stats • Live Updates on Twitter (@FresnoStateVB)
Series History • Streak: Long Beach State leads 17-1 • LBSU W 12

Complete Weekly Release (PDF)

Quick notes
• Fresno State opened the season 7-1 for the first time since 2002 (last FS NCAA Tournament team)
• The 'Dogs rank in the top-25 in NCAA Div. I in total aces, kills, assists, digs and blocks this season
• Fresno State is 4-0 in 5-set matches and has played at least four sets in seven matches this year
• Taylor Slover has five double-doubles this year and six straight matches with double-digit kills
• The 'Dogs face UC Irvine for the third straight season, look to avenge a 3-0 loss last year in Irvine

Scouting the LBSU Mizuno Invitational
• Southern Utah is just 1-7 on the year with its lone win a sweep of Jacksonville State. The Thunderbirds were swept by UNLV, 3-0, but did push Saint Mary's to five sets (and held a 2-1 lead) and had a 2-0 lead at San Francisco before falling in five. Pete Hoyer is in his first seasons leading the T-Birds after the squad totaled just 11 wins overall and only four conference victories over the last two seasons. SUU was picked to finish 10th in the preseason Big Sky poll. The team is averaging just 10 kills per set with Janet Kalaniuvalu averaging 3.61 kills per set.

• UC Irvine defeated Saint Mary's, 3-1, earlier this season but took a 3-2 home loss against CSU Bakersfield and begins the week at 3-6 overall. The Anteaters went 24-8 overall and 10-6 in the Big West last season, earning a birth in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) and advancing to the quarterfinals. UCI has held its opponents to just .182 hitting this season but is hitting only .184 itself. Abby Marjama leads the Big West with 20 service aces. The 'Dogs and Eaters will be meeting for the third straight season, splitting the last two matchups.

• Long Beach State has been a perennial volleyball power, having won five NCAA championships (most recently in 2001) and reaching the NCAA Tournament 27 times. LBSU has made the NCAA Tournament just once since 2011, however, and was 10-19 last year. The Beach is 6-4 this season with wins over Texas Tech and Portland State but also a 3-0 loss to Portland State and a 3-2 loss to Boise State. LBSU leads the Big West in aces (62) and blocks (91.5) and hosts No. 16 UCLA on Thursday. The 'Dogs are 1-17 all-time against the 49ers with the lone win in 1987.

Spectacular Start
• Fresno State opened a season 7-1 for the first time since 2002. The 2002 team was the last Fresno State squad to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
• Despite two losses last week in Portland, Fresno State's 7-3 start is still the program's best record through 10 matches since the 2016 team began 8-2.

New Kid on the Block
• Shifting to middle blocker this season, redshirt sophomore Montez Uigaese leads the team, ranks fourth in the MW, and is 29th in NCAA Div. I with 46 blocks.
• Uigaese has had multiple blocks in all but one match this season and tallied 13 blocks in three matches last week, including five blocks (two solo) in just three sets against Cal. She averaged 1.30 blocks per set and hit .455 during the tournament in Portland.

National Top-25
• Among 334 NCAA Div. I programs, Fresno State currently ranks in the top-25 in five cumulative team statistics.
• The 'Dogs rank in the top-25 in the country in total aces (72 - 7th), total digs (654 - 16th), total assists (502 - 17th), total kills (533 - 21st), and total blocks (92.0 - 22nd).

All-Around Star
• For the second consecutive season senior Taylor Slover is leading the 'Dogs in kills per set (3.44) and points per set (4.09), and this year she also leads the team with 17 service aces and is second with 2.39 digs per set.
• Slover has recorded double-digit kills in nine of 10 matches (including six straight contests) and leads the team with five double-doubles. She's tallied at least five digs in every match and has also contributed 17.0 blocks this year.

On Service
• The service game has been a big factor in Fresno State's success this year as the team is 5-0 when leading in aces but 2-3 when trailing its opponent in aces.
• The 'Dogs are averaging 1.87 aces per set in their seven wins but just 1.45 aces per set as well as 1.82 service errors per set in losses.
• Entering the week Fresno State ranks seventh in NCAA Div. I with 72 total service aces this season and is 34th with 1.76 aces per set.

Going Long
• Fresno State has played at least four sets in seven of 10 matches this season with four 5-set matches. The team is playing 4.1 sets per match on average.
• The Bulldogs have played 41 sets this year, tied for the 20th most among all Div. I programs. Furthermore, the 'Dogs have played six sets that have gone into extra points.

Top Attacker
• Senior Haile Watson had a career-high 19 kills and just one error in 25 attacks vs. Saint Mary's to hit .720. At the time it was the best single-match hitting percentage in NCAA Div. I this season (min. 20 attacks) and it now ranks third best in the nation this year.
• Watson's only attack error against the Gaels came late in the fourth set as she nearly broke the program hitting percentage record of .792, achieved by Shauna McQuaid with 20 kills and one error against UALR in 2001.
• Watson ranks fourth in the MW this season with a .389 hitting percentage.

The Comeback
• Down 1-0 in sets and trailing 24-17 in the second set against American on Aug. 31, Fresno State needed to save seven set points to avoid trailing the match 2-0.
• An American service error gave the ball to the Bulldogs, and senior Taylor Slover would lead her team to another eight straight points as the 'Dogs ended the set on a 9-0 run to win it 26-24. Slover had three service aces during the run and the 'Dogs would eventually take the match in five sets.

Fantastic in Five
• The Bulldogs are 4-0 in 5-set matches this year, playing five sets in four of their first seven matches of the season.
• Fresno State was just 2-4 in 5-set matches last season and the 'Dogs already have as many five-set wins as any previous team since the 2012 Bulldogs went 7-3 in 5-setters.

Breakout Star
• Senior Jessica Gilbert has moved into the starting lineup this season and ranks second on the team with 3.22 kills and 3.91 points per set while hitting .287 and adding 2.00 digs and 0.77 blocks per set.
• Gilbert has had at least 10 kills in seven matches and has hit .250 or better in all but two matches this year. She had a career high of 19 kills and 15 digs against Eastern Illinois to earn her first double-double and had 18 kills and 21 digs vs. San Francisco.
• 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.

Super Support
• A crowd of 1,583 fans packed the Save Mart Center for Fresno State's home opener vs. Fresno Pacific and the 'Dogs are averaging 1,037 fans through four home matches.
• Fresno State is one of just four NCAA Div. I schools in California that is averaging more than 1,000 fans per match and has a higher average attendance than UCLA, Cal, USC, and six more Pac-12 schools, among others.

Home Cooking
• Dating back to the 2016 season the Bulldogs have won 13 of their last 17 home matches.
• Fresno State was 7-3 at home last season and is 4-1 in the Save Mart Center so far this year.
• The squad has had a winning home record in each of the last two years and in five of the last six seasons.

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 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.
• Leonard has tallied double-digit digs in every match this season with 20 or more digs six times as she leads the MW and ranks 33rd in NCAA Div. I averaging 5.22 digs per set.

Beating Tourney Teams
• Fresno State's 3-2 victory over American gave the 'Dogs their first win of the year against a team that played in the NCAA Tournament last season. American went 26-8 last year and won the Patriot League to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
• Last season the 'Dogs had three wins against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams, beating UNLV twice and defeating 2016 SWAC champion Alabama State.

Double-Double Madness
• The Bulldogs have already totaled 10 double-doubles this season. The team had a grand total of seven double-doubles in 30 matches last year.
• Taylor Slover has five double-doubles while Madelyn Halteman has three and Jessica Gilbert has two. The 'Dogs have had at least one double-double in seven matches this year and have recorded multiple double-doubles in three matches.

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.
• 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.

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Bulldogs close non-conference play at LBSU Mizuno Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Jessica Gilbert

Madelyn Halteman

Reagan Leonard

Taylor Slover

Montez Uigaese

Haile Watson