Bryan Cole / The Collegian File Photo

With a surprising turn in the final game of the Fresno State Invitational, the Bulldog volleyball team finished the game and the tournament second place Saturday night.

Though they did expect a fight from the University of the Pacific, the Bulldogs did not anticipate losing in the final match 3-1 (19-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-19).

The ̢۪Dogs swept two of the tournament contenders, California State University, Bakersfield and University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

But the Tigers would prove to be a more formidable foe.

In the first set against UOP, senior blocker Kelly Leonardo led the team in offense with four kills. Their offense was in synch with a hitting percentage of .433, but the statistics plummeted from there.

In the next three sets, they watched helplessly as Pacific scored hit after hit, but what contributed to Pacific̢۪s win was the 23-overall errors the Bulldogs made.

It did not come as a surprise to head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell that Pacific would be aggressive on the court, since she already knew how physical the team was.

“When they’re not playing well they have a really rough time, but once they get rolling their offense turns on,â€Â Netherby-Sewell said. “They have mature hitters and they make good plays and they’re very aggressive.â€Â

Despite placing second in the tournament, the Bulldogs still have a lot to smile about since they did accomplish the goals they set for themselves in the first two games of the tournament.

“We came out with a bang in this tournament,â€Â Leonardo said. “The first two games we did really well, we did what we said we’re going to do. We’re definitely getting more confident everyday.â€Â

Netherby-Sewell agreed, saying that the team had a lot more kills than errors, which had won them the first two games.

“We win matches when we do that. So having those goals earlier met, tonight we just couldn’t reach them,â€Â she said.

One of the big surprises was freshman right side hitter Taylor Horton, who exceeded expectations having led the team in kills against CSUB. Though she did say she could have done better in the third game, she said she̢۪s excited about what they have already accomplished.

“Obviously, we’re hoping for the win, but we learned a lot of lessons this weekend and I’m very proud of the team,â€Â Horton said.

Having seen the team play in this tournament, Netherby-Sewell said that changes would be made in the rest of the preseason to tighten up their offense. She also said that the team should work on their audible attacks when they are at play, since there were a lot of miscommunications due to the fact that the team is not accustomed to a loud environment.

Netherby-Sewell also had an issue with the fact that the team didn̢۪t start the sets as strongly as they should have.

“We need to work on our transition, that’s where we lose a lot of points,â€Â Netherby-Sewell said. “The big issue why we lost that match we didn’t serve tough. Luckily we have preseason weekends to adjust things up. By the time WAC (Western Athletic Conference) comes up, we’ll be a tough team.â€Â