Bulldogs edged by UC Irvine in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Fresno State outblocked UC Irvine 8.0-4.0 and Aubrey Folk had a season-high 12 kills but UC Irvine hit well and had a big second-set comeback to defeat the Bulldogs, 3-0 (25-13, 26-24, 25-19), at the LBSU Mizuno Invitational in Long Beach.

Fresno State (8-4) was playing its second match of the day after beating Southern Utah, 3-1, earlier Friday. UC Irvine (5-6) went 24-7 last season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) postseason tournament.

Folk hit .458 and led the 'Dogs in kills while also contributing four blocks. Haile Watson had eight kills and a match-high five blocks while hitting .375 and Taylor Slover had six kills. Jocelyn Rodriguez had a Fresno State career-high 14 digs as UC Irvine had a .254-.170 advantage in hitting percentage and had seven service aces while the 'Dogs had just one ace and nine service errors.

How it Happened
UC Irvine came out hot to start the match, taking a quick 6-0 lead and extending to a 13-2 advantage to make it a run away early. Folk gave the 'Dogs a big spark off the bench, tallying five kills and no errors in seven swings in the period for a .714 hitting percentage. After trailing 21-6 the 'Dogs outscored the Anteaters 7-4 through the end of the set, with four of the seven points on Folk's kills, but UCI took the 1-0 lead.

The 'Dogs took momentum into the second set and led for most of it after jumping to a 5-0 lead. Fresno State held UC Irvine to .173 hitting in the set and had 14 kills after just six in the first set. There were six ties in the set, but after it was tied at 18 the 'Dogs had a 6-2 run to reach set point at 24-20. Out of a timeout the Anteaters rallied, ending the set on a 6-0 run to save four set points and win it 26-24.

Both teams had their best hitting percentage of the match in the third set as the 'Dogs hit .303 and UC Irvine hit .316 with both teams committing only three attack errors. Fresno State led 5-4 before UCI scored five straight points to lead 9-5. The Eaters led by at least three points for the rest of the set, hitting 20 points with a 20-13 lead and reaching match point at 24-16. The 'Dogs saved the first three match points before UCI got a kill to finish the win.

Notes

Fresno State and UC Irvine met for the third consecutive season with the Anteaters earning a sweep for the second straight year.
The Bulldogs have trailed their opponent in service aces in all four of their losses this year. The 'Dogs are 6-0 when leading in aces but 2-4 when having fewer than the opposition.
Fresno State has had more blocks than its opponent in nine of 12 matches this year.
The 'Dogs played just their fourth 3-set match of the season.

What's Next
Fresno State plays its final non-conference match of the season and closes the LBSU Mizuno Invitational facing tournament host Long Beach State Saturday night at 7 p.m.

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Bulldogs edged by UC Irvine in Long Beach

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Team Stats

Aubrey Folk

Haile Watson

Taylor Slover

Kava Durr

Players Mentioned

Aubrey Folk

Jocelyn Rodriguez

Taylor Slover

Haile Watson

Players Mentioned

Aubrey Folk

Jocelyn Rodriguez

Taylor Slover

Haile Watson