Bulldogs open MW play Friday at San Diego State

Fresno State (8-5) at San Diego State (1-11)
Sept. 21, 2018 • 6:00 PM PT • Peterson Gym (3,668) • San Diego, Calif.
Video: MW Network
Live: Live Stats • Live Updates on Twitter (@FresnoStateVB)
Series History • Streak: San Diego State leads 31-14 • SDSU W 1

Complete Weekly Release (PDF)

Bulldog Bones
• Fresno State enters MW play after going 8-5 in non-conference matches. The 'Dogs are one of eight MW teams that posted a winning non-conference record as MW play begins this week.
• Reagan Leonard leads the MW averaging 4.91 digs per set this season and her 260 total digs rank 17th in NCAA Div. I. Her current average would be the second best in a season in program history.
• Fresno State currently ranks in the top-25 in NCAA Div. I in four cumulative team statistical categories: total aces (82 - 16th), total kills (683 - 22nd), total digs (838 - 25th), and total assists (639 - 25th).
• The 'Dogs are 6-0 this season when leading in aces but 2-5 when trailing its opponent in aces. The Bulldogs are averaging 1.79 aces per set in their wins but just 1.11 aces per set in the five losses.
• San Diego State was picked to finish tied for 3rd place in the preseason MW Coaches' Poll but was a league-worst 1-11 in non-conference play. The' Dogs haven't won at SDSU since Sept. 24, 1999.

Scouting San Diego State (1-11)
• San Diego State was picked to finish tied for 3rd place in the preseason MW Coaches' Poll but was a league-worst 1-11 in non-conference play and is currently on a 10-match losing streak.
• The lone Aztec win this season was a 3-2 home victory over Seattle U in their second match.
• Just three of the Aztec losses this season have been in three sets, however, as the team has played nine matches that have gone at least four sets. In fact, SDSU has played five straight matches that have gone four sets or longer with two straight five-set losses at home last week.
• The Aztecs rank last in the MW with just 12.34 digs per set and are 10th with 0.96 aces per set but are averaging 2.20 blocks per set as Deja Harris is ninth in NCAA Div. I with 66 total blocks.
• The 'Dogs and Aztecs split two matches last year. Fresno State's last win at SDSU was in 1999.

Conference Time
• Fresno State enters MW play after going 8-5 in non-conference, posting a winning preseason record for the third time in the last four seasons.
• The 'Dogs are one of eight MW teams to begin conference play with a winning record. San Diego State is one of just two league teams that had a losing non-conference mark.
• As a conference, the 11 MW teams totaled an impressive 72-57 record this year against non-conference opponents.

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.
• Fresno State's 8-3 start was the program's best record through 11 matches since the 2016 team began 9-2.

All-Around Star
• For the second consecutive season senior Taylor Slover is leading the 'Dogs in kills per set (3.58) and points per set (4.19), and this year she also leads the team with 18 service aces and is second with 2.38 digs per set.
• Slover has recorded double-digit kills in 11 of 13 matches, including two 20+ kill matches last week, and leads the team with six double-doubles. She's tallied at least five digs in every match and has also contributed 23 blocks.

Arms on Fire
• Fresno State hit .371 in its 3-1 win over Southern Utah last week, tallying 66 kills and just 13 errors for the team's best hitting percentage in a match in more than two years since hitting .455 against Texas Southern.
• Haile Watson had nine kills and no errors in 10 swings for a .900 hitting percentage while Taylor Slover hit .404 with 23 kills and Jessica Gilbert hit .375 with 14 kills. Setter Madelyn Halteman had 48 assists and also had a career-high five kills in just 10 swings in the victory.

'Dogs Picked Seventh
• The Bulldogs were 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.

She Can Dig It
• Sophomore Reagan Leonard leads the MW averaging 4.91 digs per set this season while her 260 total digs are 17th most in NCAA Div. I. Her current 4.91 digs per set average would be the second best in a season in program history as she has totaled double-digit digs in every match this year with seven 20+ dig matches.
• In just her second career start at libero, 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.

National Top-25
• Among 334 NCAA Div. I programs, Fresno State currently ranks in the top-25 in four cumulative team statistics.
• The 'Dogs rank in the top-25 in the country in total aces (82 - 16th), total kills (683 - 22nd), total digs (838 - 25th), and total assists (639 - 25th). The Bulldogs are 2nd in the MW in all four of those categories.

New Kid on the Block
• Shifting to middle blocker this season, redshirt sophomore Montez Uigaese leads the team, ranks fifth in the MW, and is 38th in NCAA Div. I with 56 blocks.
• Uigaese has had multiple blocks in all but two matches this season and tallied 10 blocks in three matches last week playing in her hometown of Long Beach.
• Uigaese has also hit well recently with a .400 or better hitting percentage in five of the last six matches.

On Service
• The service game has been a big factor in Fresno State's success this year as the team is 6-0 when leading in aces but 2-5 when trailing its opponent in aces.
• The 'Dogs are averaging 1.79 aces per set in their eight wins but just 1.11 aces per set in the five losses.
• Entering the week Fresno State ranks 16th in NCAA Div. I with 82 total service aces this season.

Better Blocking
• Fresno State has had the same or more blocks than its opponent in 10 of 13 matches this year, averaging 2.17 blocks per set while allowing only 1.87 opponent blocks per set.
• The Bulldogs are 8-2 this year when having the same or more blocks than their opponent and 0-3 when trailing in blocks.

Going Long
• Fresno State has played at least four sets in nine of 13 matches this season with five 5-set matches. The team is playing 4.1 sets per match on average.
• The Bulldogs have played 53 sets this year, tied for the 22nd most among all Div. I programs. Furthermore, the 'Dogs have played seven 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 .382 hitting percentage.

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.

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 4-1 in 5-set matches this year. The 'Dogs played five sets in four of their first seven matches of the season and won all four.
• 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 2.94 kills and 3.57 points per set while hitting .276 and adding 1.79 digs and 0.75 blocks per set.
• Gilbert has had at least 10 kills in eight matches and has hit .250 or better in all but three 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.

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.

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Bulldogs open MW play Friday at San Diego State

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Players Mentioned

Jessica Gilbert

Madelyn Halteman

Reagan Leonard

Taylor Slover

Montez Uigaese

Haile Watson

Fresno State Athletics