Fresno State Athletics
Saturday, March 6
USAF Academy, CO
3 P.M. PT
Fresno State
3
at
2
Air Force
Photo by: Kendal Munoz/Fresno State
'Dogs top Falcons in five-set thriller
3/6/2021 8:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
USAFA, Colo. - A marathon five-set thriller went the way of the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon as they prevailed for a win over Air Force at Cadet East Gym.
Set scores went 23-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17, 24-22 as Fresno State improves to 5-3 on the season and sits in fourth place in the Mountain West.
For a second straight match, senior Savanah Smith set a new career high in kills finishing with 19, a day after going for 16 on Friday evening.
Senior Amilya Thompson blew past her previous career high of 35 assists to tally 50 as the 'Dogs finished with 61 as a team.
Senior Jocelyn Rodriguez also had a career-high 28 digs and Grace Doyle nearly notched a double-double finishing with 12 kills and added a team-high eight blocks.
How It Happened
After the first two sets saw the teams very even with each winning sets by scores of 25-23, the Falcons took the third set, 25-22. The 'Dogs got within a point at 15-14 after an ace by Doyle, but that was as close as they would get be facing a 2-1 set deficit.
The 'Dogs turned it up from there winning the fourth set, 25-17 using a 10-3 run down the stretch to break away from a 15-14 lead. A kill by Desiree Sukhov put the Bulldogs ahead 19-15 and force a Air Force timeout. Out of the timeout, the 'Dogs scored three straight points before the set closed out with two attack errors and kill by Smith.
The fifth and deciding set saw an absolute barn burner as the 'Dogs jumped out to a 14-10 lead after a kill by Amaria Kelley and were on the verge on match point before the Falcons reeled off four straight points. After ties at 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22, the 'Dogs finished off the marathon set with a kill by Kelley and blocks by Kelley and Doyle.
Up next
Fresno State returns home to take on Wyoming (7-3, 7-3 MW) on Friday and Saturday at the Save Mart Center.
"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley"" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateVB
Instagram:Â FresnoStatevball
Facebook:Â FresnoStateVBÂ Â Â
Set scores went 23-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17, 24-22 as Fresno State improves to 5-3 on the season and sits in fourth place in the Mountain West.
For a second straight match, senior Savanah Smith set a new career high in kills finishing with 19, a day after going for 16 on Friday evening.
Senior Amilya Thompson blew past her previous career high of 35 assists to tally 50 as the 'Dogs finished with 61 as a team.
Senior Jocelyn Rodriguez also had a career-high 28 digs and Grace Doyle nearly notched a double-double finishing with 12 kills and added a team-high eight blocks.
How It Happened
After the first two sets saw the teams very even with each winning sets by scores of 25-23, the Falcons took the third set, 25-22. The 'Dogs got within a point at 15-14 after an ace by Doyle, but that was as close as they would get be facing a 2-1 set deficit.
The 'Dogs turned it up from there winning the fourth set, 25-17 using a 10-3 run down the stretch to break away from a 15-14 lead. A kill by Desiree Sukhov put the Bulldogs ahead 19-15 and force a Air Force timeout. Out of the timeout, the 'Dogs scored three straight points before the set closed out with two attack errors and kill by Smith.
The fifth and deciding set saw an absolute barn burner as the 'Dogs jumped out to a 14-10 lead after a kill by Amaria Kelley and were on the verge on match point before the Falcons reeled off four straight points. After ties at 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22, the 'Dogs finished off the marathon set with a kill by Kelley and blocks by Kelley and Doyle.
Up next
Fresno State returns home to take on Wyoming (7-3, 7-3 MW) on Friday and Saturday at the Save Mart Center.
"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley"" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateVB
Instagram:Â FresnoStatevball
Facebook:Â FresnoStateVBÂ Â Â
Players Mentioned
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