Fresno State Athletics
Saturday, September 12
Northridge, CA
1 p.m. PT
Fresno State
3-5,0-0Pac-12
2
vs
3
UNLV
1-6,0-0Mountain West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNLV | 25 | 26 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 3 |
| Fresno St. | 22 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 11 | 2 |
Fresno State’s comeback falls short against UNLV
9/12/2026 7:20:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The Fresno State volleyball team battled back from a two-set deficit but ultimately fell to UNLV in five sets (22-25, 24-26, 25-20, 25-19, 11-15) on Saturday afternoon at Premier America Credit Union Arena. The Bulldogs moved to 3-5 on the season.
Jenna Legault led the Bulldogs with a match-high 23 kills while adding five blocks. Peyton Bitter finished with 11 kills and five blocks, while Alivia Schneider provided a spark with seven kills on .467 hitting and nine digs. Fresno State finished the match with 14 blocks and 10 service aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening set went back and forth with neither team able to create much separation early. Fresno State used kills from Legault and Bitter along with a Bitter-Andee May block to take a 15-12 advantage.
UNLV responded with a 5-1 run to take a 17-16 lead before the Bulldogs tied the set at 17. Fresno State stayed within striking distance down the stretch, pulling within one at 23-22 on a Bitter kill, but the Rebels scored the final two points to take the opening set.
After UNLV jumped out to an 8-2 lead, Fresno State began chipping away at the deficit. May sparked an early push with a service ace before Aryam Munoz took over from the service line. Munoz recorded three aces during a 6-0 Bulldog run that turned a 12-9 deficit into a 15-12 Fresno State advantage.
The teams traded points throughout the remainder of the set. Facing set point at 24-22, Bitter delivered a kill before May tied the frame at 24 with a kill. UNLV responded with consecutive kills to escape with the 26-24 win and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Fresno State responded in the third set, turning a 7-5 deficit into a 9-8 lead behind a May ace, Legault kill and Washington kill.
With the score tied at 12, Fresno State put together a 4-0 run highlighted by a May-Smart block and back-to-back Legault kills to take a 16-12 advantage. Schneider helped the Bulldogs pull away late, recording four kills after Fresno State reached 16 points. Legault finished the set with the final kill to secure the 25-20 win and keep the Bulldogs alive.
The Bulldogs carried their momentum into the fourth set and dominated from the opening serve. Legault recorded back-to-back kills before Olivia Lombardi served consecutive aces as Fresno State raced out to a 6-0 lead.
UNLV cut the advantage to three at 9-6, but Fresno State quickly regained control. A Schneider kill and Legault kill helped extend the lead to 13-7 before the Bulldogs used a 4-0 run to push their advantage to 18-11.
Fresno State's blocking came up big late, with the Bulldogs recording four blocks over their final seven points. A Devery-Washington block sealed the 25-19 win and forced a fifth set.
Fresno State opened the deciding set with three straight points behind consecutive blocks and a Washington kill. Back-to-back Legault kills later gave the Bulldogs a 5-1 advantage.
UNLV answered with four straight to tie the set at 5, setting up a back-and-forth stretch that featured ties at 6, 7, 8 and 9. With the score even at 9, the Rebels put together a 5-1 run to reach match point at 14-10. Legault fought off the first match point with her 23rd kill, but UNLV answered on the next rally to take the match, 15-11.
NOTES
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will close out the Ridge Invitational tomorrow, September 13, against host CSUN.
Jenna Legault led the Bulldogs with a match-high 23 kills while adding five blocks. Peyton Bitter finished with 11 kills and five blocks, while Alivia Schneider provided a spark with seven kills on .467 hitting and nine digs. Fresno State finished the match with 14 blocks and 10 service aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening set went back and forth with neither team able to create much separation early. Fresno State used kills from Legault and Bitter along with a Bitter-Andee May block to take a 15-12 advantage.
UNLV responded with a 5-1 run to take a 17-16 lead before the Bulldogs tied the set at 17. Fresno State stayed within striking distance down the stretch, pulling within one at 23-22 on a Bitter kill, but the Rebels scored the final two points to take the opening set.
After UNLV jumped out to an 8-2 lead, Fresno State began chipping away at the deficit. May sparked an early push with a service ace before Aryam Munoz took over from the service line. Munoz recorded three aces during a 6-0 Bulldog run that turned a 12-9 deficit into a 15-12 Fresno State advantage.
The teams traded points throughout the remainder of the set. Facing set point at 24-22, Bitter delivered a kill before May tied the frame at 24 with a kill. UNLV responded with consecutive kills to escape with the 26-24 win and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Fresno State responded in the third set, turning a 7-5 deficit into a 9-8 lead behind a May ace, Legault kill and Washington kill.
With the score tied at 12, Fresno State put together a 4-0 run highlighted by a May-Smart block and back-to-back Legault kills to take a 16-12 advantage. Schneider helped the Bulldogs pull away late, recording four kills after Fresno State reached 16 points. Legault finished the set with the final kill to secure the 25-20 win and keep the Bulldogs alive.
The Bulldogs carried their momentum into the fourth set and dominated from the opening serve. Legault recorded back-to-back kills before Olivia Lombardi served consecutive aces as Fresno State raced out to a 6-0 lead.
UNLV cut the advantage to three at 9-6, but Fresno State quickly regained control. A Schneider kill and Legault kill helped extend the lead to 13-7 before the Bulldogs used a 4-0 run to push their advantage to 18-11.
Fresno State's blocking came up big late, with the Bulldogs recording four blocks over their final seven points. A Devery-Washington block sealed the 25-19 win and forced a fifth set.
Fresno State opened the deciding set with three straight points behind consecutive blocks and a Washington kill. Back-to-back Legault kills later gave the Bulldogs a 5-1 advantage.
UNLV answered with four straight to tie the set at 5, setting up a back-and-forth stretch that featured ties at 6, 7, 8 and 9. With the score even at 9, the Rebels put together a 5-1 run to reach match point at 14-10. Legault fought off the first match point with her 23rd kill, but UNLV answered on the next rally to take the match, 15-11.
NOTES
- Legault recorded a match-high 23 kills, tying her career-high set earlier this season, and added five blocks.
- Bitter finished with 11 kills and five blocks.
- Schneider recorded seven kills without an error on 15 attacks, hitting a team-best .467, while adding nine digs.
- Washington hit .333 with seven kills and a team-high seven blocks.
- May finished with five kills on .357 hitting, six blocks and three service aces.
- Olivia Lombardi recorded 20 digs, nine assists and three aces.
- Anna Bolich added 24 assists and 20 digs, while Gabby Lombardi finished with 17 assists and 12 digs.
- Fresno State finished with 14 blocks and 10 service aces.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will close out the Ridge Invitational tomorrow, September 13, against host CSUN.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
UNLV
Fresno
Kills
60
56
Errors
27
28
Attempts
183
190
Hitting %
.180
.147
Points
80.0
80.0
Assists
56
51
Aces
8
10
Blocks
12
14
Game Leaders
Kills
23
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
7
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