Fresno State Athletics
Friday, September 21
San Diego, Calif.
6 P.M. PT
Fresno State
9-5 (1-0MW)
3
at
0
San Diego State
1-12 (0-1MW)
1
2
3
F
Fresno State
27
25
25
3
San Diego State
25
17
21
0
‘Dogs sweep Aztecs in San Diego to open MW play
9/21/2018 9:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Fresno State outblocked San Diego State 12-3 and held the Aztecs to .085 hitting on the night in a 3-0 (27-25, 25-17, 25-21) victory in the Mountain West opener on Friday night in San Diego.
Fresno State (9-5, 1-0 MW) had not won at San Diego State (1-12, 0-1 MW) in almost 19 years, since a 3-2 victory on Sept. 24, 1999. The 'Dogs had lost six straight matches in Peterson Gym and were winless at SDSU since joining the Mountain West. The win also gave the 'Dogs a victory in their MW opener for the first time since 2013.
Haile Watson and Montez Uigaese led the Bulldog block party as they both had six blocks in just three sets. Watson added eight kills and Uigaese had five while Taylor Slover had a match-high 12 kills and added 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Madelyn Halteman had 33 assists and Reagan Leonard had a match-high 15 digs.
How it Happened
San Diego State built a big early lead in the first set, going up by as many as seven points with a 15-8 lead. The 'Dogs held the Aztecs to .077 hitting in the set and came all the way back to tie it at 23-23. The Bulldogs reached a set point at 24-23, but the Aztecs came back with two straight to have a set point of their own leading 25-24. An Aztec attack error knotted it up again at 25, and the 'Dogs followed with consecutive blocks, their fourth and fifth blocks of the set, to win it 27-25 (watch).
Fresno State took the momentum into the second set and, after SDSU got the first point of the set, the 'Dogs had a 7-0 run and never trailed again. The Aztecs hit .000 with nine kills and nine errors in the set but were able to get as close as a 16-13 deficit. San Diego State would be within four points at 20-16 but the 'Dogs ended the set on a 5-1 run to take a 2-0 lead.
There were seven ties and four lead changes in the third set as San Diego State looked to extend the match. SDSU hit .171 in the set, its only one of the night in which it hit above .100, and led 9-6 early. The 'Dogs battled back and led 18-15 before the set was tied at 19-19. Fresno State ended the set on a 6-2 run and finished the night on their first match point on a block from Watson and Kava Durr (watch).
Notes
"It's always tough to win on the road in conference, so we are thrilled to have played consistently well throughout all three sets to get the win. The blocking was a big improvement this week, which allowed us to slow them down quite a bit and get us out of some tough side out rotations. We spent quite a bit of time on that this week."
On the team…
"Both Haile and Montez did a fantastic job of controlling the net and then being available in transition, which helped give our offense more balance. Another big difference maker this week was Maddy's distribution of the sets to keep everyone involved in the offense. It allowed everyone to stay consistent and connected throughout the match."
What's Next
The Bulldogs play their first two conference home matches next week, hosting Wyoming at 7 p.m. Thursday and defending MW champion Colorado State next Saturday at 1 p.m. The Rams and Cowgirls were picked first and second, respectively, in the preseason MW Coaches Poll.
"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
Fresno State (9-5, 1-0 MW) had not won at San Diego State (1-12, 0-1 MW) in almost 19 years, since a 3-2 victory on Sept. 24, 1999. The 'Dogs had lost six straight matches in Peterson Gym and were winless at SDSU since joining the Mountain West. The win also gave the 'Dogs a victory in their MW opener for the first time since 2013.
Haile Watson and Montez Uigaese led the Bulldog block party as they both had six blocks in just three sets. Watson added eight kills and Uigaese had five while Taylor Slover had a match-high 12 kills and added 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Madelyn Halteman had 33 assists and Reagan Leonard had a match-high 15 digs.
How it Happened
San Diego State built a big early lead in the first set, going up by as many as seven points with a 15-8 lead. The 'Dogs held the Aztecs to .077 hitting in the set and came all the way back to tie it at 23-23. The Bulldogs reached a set point at 24-23, but the Aztecs came back with two straight to have a set point of their own leading 25-24. An Aztec attack error knotted it up again at 25, and the 'Dogs followed with consecutive blocks, their fourth and fifth blocks of the set, to win it 27-25 (watch).
Fresno State took the momentum into the second set and, after SDSU got the first point of the set, the 'Dogs had a 7-0 run and never trailed again. The Aztecs hit .000 with nine kills and nine errors in the set but were able to get as close as a 16-13 deficit. San Diego State would be within four points at 20-16 but the 'Dogs ended the set on a 5-1 run to take a 2-0 lead.
There were seven ties and four lead changes in the third set as San Diego State looked to extend the match. SDSU hit .171 in the set, its only one of the night in which it hit above .100, and led 9-6 early. The 'Dogs battled back and led 18-15 before the set was tied at 19-19. Fresno State ended the set on a 6-2 run and finished the night on their first match point on a block from Watson and Kava Durr (watch).
Notes
- Fresno State earned a sweep in its first MW match of the season for the first time since joining the league in 2012.
- San Diego State was picked tied for third in the preseason MW Coaches Poll.
- The Bulldogs have recorded the same or more blocks than their opponent in nine of 12 matches this year.
- San Diego State's three blocks in the match were the fewest by a Fresno State opponent this season.
- Fresno State had 10 blocks before the first SDSU block of the match late in the second set.
- The match was the only meeting this year between the Bulldogs and Aztecs. The only other MW team that Fresno State plays just once this season is Air Force, who the 'Dogs won't face until the final match of the regular season.
- Head Coach Jonathan Winder
"It's always tough to win on the road in conference, so we are thrilled to have played consistently well throughout all three sets to get the win. The blocking was a big improvement this week, which allowed us to slow them down quite a bit and get us out of some tough side out rotations. We spent quite a bit of time on that this week."
On the team…
"Both Haile and Montez did a fantastic job of controlling the net and then being available in transition, which helped give our offense more balance. Another big difference maker this week was Maddy's distribution of the sets to keep everyone involved in the offense. It allowed everyone to stay consistent and connected throughout the match."
What's Next
The Bulldogs play their first two conference home matches next week, hosting Wyoming at 7 p.m. Thursday and defending MW champion Colorado State next Saturday at 1 p.m. The Rams and Cowgirls were picked first and second, respectively, in the preseason MW Coaches Poll.
"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
Team Stats
FS
SDSU
Kills
38
37
Errors
15
27
Attempts
120
118
Hitting %
.192
.085
Points
52.0
47.0
Assists
37
32
Aces
2
7
Blocks
12.0
3.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
S
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