The Fresno State Bulldogs hosted the Bulldog Invitational to start the 2013 volleyball season. The tournament, which was from Aug. 30-31, featured six different matches.
The Bulldogs played three teams: the Santa Clara Broncos, Rice Owls and Cal State Northridge Matadors.
Fresno State Bulldogs vs. Rice Owls
In the first game of the series, the Bulldogs faced the Owls for the first time since 2011. The Bulldogs won the first set, 25-22 after a kill by senior middle blocker Lauren Albertson off a Cori Ehmen assist.
The Bulldogs tried to rally in the second set, after being down 24-20, but sophomore outside hitter Zana Bowens committed an attack error, giving Rice the set point they needed.
Rice took the third set, 25-21 after battling back from a 12-9 lead by the Bulldogs. Bowens had two consecutive service aces and five kills. Fresno State ended the fourth set with a four-point streak, winning 26-24. The fifth and deciding set ended on a service error by Rice’s Noelle Whitlock, as the Owls were trying to rally late.
Bowens led the Bulldogs with 21 kills and Korrin Wild was second with 18. Cori Ehmen had the most assists, tallying 62 out of the team’s total of 68.
Fresno State Bulldogs vs. Santa Clara Broncos
Santa Clara, after being shut out by Cal State Northridge, sought to take their frustrations out on the Bulldogs.
The first set was analogous to the Bulldogs’ Aug. 29 overtime football victory against Rutgers. The lead changed 10 times and at one point it seemed like the set would never end. With the set tied at 24-24, the Bulldogs scored the 25th point.
Middle blocker Megan Anders smacked a kill for the Broncos to stay alive and outside hitter Danielle Rottman served an ace to take the lead. The Bulldogs hit two kills to retake the lead, before the Broncos had two kills to stay alive.
The Bulldogs won the set, 32-30, after scoring four points out of the last five points.
No extra points were needed in the second set, which the Broncos led 21-20 and never looked back. Taylor Milton had three of the last five kills and Santa Clara won 25-22.
The third set again went in the Broncos’ favor. They scored six straight points and led by 15-8. The Bulldogs couldn’t come back, and the set ended with a 25-19 Broncos victory.
The Bulldogs took the fourth set in similar fashion, gaining an early 8-point lead en route to a 25-20 victory. But the fifth and deciding set went to Santa Clara, 15-10, after a service ace by Alyssa Anderson and an attack error by the Bulldogs.
Fresno State Bulldogs vs. Cal State Northridge Matadors
The Bulldogs had another five-set match against the Matadors, but the Matadors prevailed in the two-and-a-half hour showdown. The Matadors had two five-point streaks in the first set and won, 25-17.
The second set was the Bulldogs’ turn to have a five-point streak. Lauren Albertson had two kills and the Matadors had three attack errors, which ended in a 25-22 Bulldogs win. After the half, the Bulldogs took the third set, 25-23, before dropping the fourth (25-17) and fifth (15-9) sets.
Fresno State ended the tournament 1-2 and will head to Portland, Ore., to participate in the Portland Nike Invitational against the University of Portland, Brigham Young University and Wichita State University.
Afterward, they will return home for the Fresno State Classic Sept. 13-14.