Joseph Edgecomb / The Collegian
The Fresno State men̢۪s volleyball team hit a few bumps this weekend on the road to nationals.
The team will travel to Dallas in April in hopes of claiming another national title.
The Bulldogs won the title in 2004 and this season̢۪s young team has every weapon necessary to earn it back.
After a rough weekend, however, the team is facing some obstacles.
Fresno State, now 20-7 overall, will head into league championships after a couple weeks to rest.
In Friday̢۪s last home game, the Bulldogs took on Cal Poly.
The teams rallied throughout three matches, but a missing key player and an injury to the Bulldogs̢۪ roster put Cal Poly at a slight advantage.
“One of our better players, number four [Brett Gillen], was hurt and then our best player got injured in that last and critical game,â€Â coach Brian Tsukimura said. “That team actually plays really, really tough.â€Â
Outside hitter Jake Wiens, a key player for the Bulldogs, suffered a sprained ankle in Friday̢۪s match.
“The good thing is we’re off until the playoffs, which is the end of this month. So he has time to recover,â€Â Tsukimura said. “Sprained ankles take about two weeks to recover from.â€Â
Setter Mike Delotto said even though Wiens is a key element, it doesn̢۪t change everything.
“It’s not that different, we’ve played without him before,â€Â he said. “We have had a good enough team to take him out.â€Â
The ‘Dogs also headed north to take on Santa Clara and San Jose State on Saturday and Sunday.
In Saturday̢۪s game against Santa Clara, the Bulldogs lost in four matches.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs finished off the weekend with a win over San Jose State.
“The win picked us up,â€Â Delotto said. “It shows you we can win with anybody on the court.â€Â
Senior libero and club president, Zack Moro, said the win helped the team gain momentum going into the league championships.
“It was a good win because we were without Jake and Brett,â€Â he said. “We found a way to win though.â€Â
Tsukimura is optimistic that Wiens and the Bulldogs will be ready for the Northen California Collegiate Volleyball League Championships at the end of March.
The true test will come, however, on April 10 when Fresno State travels to Dallas for nationals.
“We have a really good chance of winning. The only team we haven’t beaten in league is Cal Poly,â€Â Moro said. “We have a chance to beat everybody.â€Â
Delotto has a simpler expectation for the league championships this month.
“Victory,â€Â he said.