Matt Weir/The Collegian

After making huge strides last season under third-year head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell, Fresno State volleyball has been working around the clock to once again improve the win-loss column.

The ‘Dogs finished 2009 one game under .500 with a 15-16 (7-9) record and took third in the Western Athletic Conference tournament. The 15-16 record was a significant improvement from the Netherby-Sewell’s inagural season leading the Bulldogs when they finished a mere 7-20 and second-to-last in conference play.

Returning from 2009 are seniors Kelly Mason and Kasey Van Grouw along with junior middle blocker Brianna Clarke, who is a preseason All-WAC selection. All together Fresno State is equipped with a fairly young roster with half the roster either being freshman or sophomores compared to just four seniors.

Mason, who plays libero, saw action in all 31 matches last season. She ranked high on the conference leader boards in digs while leading the team in that category with 471.

The Bulldogs also will be faced with a challenging schedule, facing three Pac-10 foes in Oregon, Cal-Berkeley and USC, including four squads that reached the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

In all, Fresno State will face 11 out-of-conference opponents in three separate tournaments before taking on WAC competition on Sept. 23 when they host Idaho.

Fresno State has never won a WAC title in regular-season play or tournament play.