Bulldog volleyball announces 2019 schedule

FRESNO, Calif. – Head Coach Jonathan Winder has announced the 2019 Fresno State Volleyball schedule, which features one home tournament and nine home MW matches with eight total contests against 2018 postseason teams.

Coming off a 22-win season, a program record-high second place finish in the MW, and their first postseason win since 1995, the Bulldogs will face a challenging 30-match slate in 2019. That will start with the non-conference season as two of Fresno State's non-conference tournaments will be hosted by teams that won their conference and qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season.

"Every match we play in the non-conference will be tough" Winder said. "Almost all of the teams are around the same RPI we finished at last year and all are looking to win 20-plus games. A successful non-conference season will certainly prepare us for the depth of the Mountain West and help our RPI. I would expect every match to be a battle that will require us to continue to improve and compete to win."

The 'Dogs will open the year in a tournament at Green Bay, which won the Horizon League title in 2018 to earn an NCAA Tournament bid. The Bulldogs will face Ohio to open the regular season on Aug. 30^th in Green Bay before taking on Indiana State and the host Phoenix on Aug. 31.

Fresno State opens the home schedule hosting the Fresno State Invitational Sept. 5-6, welcoming CSU Bakersfield, Santa Clara, and CSUN to the Save Mart Center. The home opener for the 'Dogs will come against CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 5 and Fresno State will face CSUN and Santa Clara the following day while the tournament will also include three neutral-site matches.

The Bulldogs will head to Flagstaff, Ariz. the following week for a tournament hosted by reigning Big Sky champion and NCAA participant Northern Arizona. The 'Dogs will face an SEC foe while in Flagstaff, taking on LSU to open tournament play on Sept. 13, and will also face South Dakota State in addition to the host Lumberjacks. Fresno State will conclude its non-conference slate the following week taking on UC Davis, San Francisco, and CSU Bakersfield in a tournament hosted by the Roadrunners Sept. 20-21.

"The non-conference schedule this year will be continuously challenging," Winder said. "With nine new members to our team it will be a tremendous opportunity to get on the same page right away. Going to Green Bay to play a team that was in the NCAA tourney last year and two other quality opponents will be a great opportunity to travel, connect, and compete."

"Our home tournament will be against three successful programs who are all going to be improved from this past season and are well coached," Winder added. "We're excited to host three in-state teams which will be a great opportunity for our community to come out to see some high level volleyball. Northern Arizona is another NCAA tournament team along with LSU, meaning that third weekend will be a great challenge as well, and we finish up with a return to Bakersfield with some more good matches"

Fresno State will open the MW season at home on Sept. 26 with a match against Nevada. The 'Dogs play their first conference road match two days later at San Jose State before returning home for two more matches the following week.

The Bulldogs will play three straight matches against 2018 postseason teams hosting NIVC semifinalist UNLV on Oct. 5 before going on the road to face defending MW champion Colorado State on Oct. 10 and NIVC qualifier Wyoming on Oct. 12.

Fresno State will also face UNLV on the road on Oct. 31 and host Colorado State and Wyoming on Nov. 7 and 9, respectively. After starting MW play with three of four games at home the 'Dogs will play three of their last four MW contests on the road, closing the home schedule against Air Force on Saturday, Nov. 16, before ending the regular season at Boise State and Utah State.

"The Mountain West will be even better this year than it was last year," Winder said. "Every team is either returning all of their top players or bringing in some elite talent. Additionally, we will have a more challenging schedule this year with our travel set up and mid-week matches. I am excited about the opportunities in front of this awesome group of young women and ready to get started!"

Before the regular season gets underway fans will get a first chance to see the 'Dogs in a Red-Blue scrimmage in the Save Mart Center on Friday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m.

2019 Fresno State Volleyball Schedule by the Numbers
4 – Matches vs. 2018 NCAA Tournament teams - Colorado State (2), Northern Arizona, Green Bay
4 – Matches vs. 2018 NIVC Tournament teams - UNLV (2), Wyoming (2)
3 – Matches vs. First-Time Opponents – Ohio, Indiana State, South Dakota State
6 – Total Matches in the Fresno State Invitational (Sept. 5-6)
30 – Total Regular Season Matches
12 – Home Matches

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Bulldog volleyball announces 2019 schedule

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