One point at a time — that’s the mantra of the Fresno State women’s volleyball team.
Finishing 2012 with 18 wins and 13 losses, improvement is the goal for 2013. The Bulldogs boast a veteran team, consisting of five seniors, and have prepared tirelessly over the summer for the season.
“We have two new setters, so we have been working a lot on offense,” Fresno State volleyball coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell said. “We have worked on just getting our tempos of our sets down and getting our hitters in rhythm.
“Where we’re a little off is our defense. Our blocking still has a long way to go, and we’ve been working on that quite a bit.”
Netherby-Sewell begins her sixth season as Fresno State coach. Last year’s 18-13 record was the Bulldogs’ best, and the only season in which they finished with more wins than losses.
This season features plenty of veteran talent, which is important in mentoring the budding Bulldogs. This mixture of veterans and newcomers ensures that the Bulldogs will continue to produce year after year.
Outside hitter Zana Bowens, a sophomore, is looking to become a leader for the future Bulldogs squad. As a freshman last year, she appeared in 30 matches. Sending the ball across the court like a bullet, she was third on the team with 21 aces.
Cori Ehmen begins her first season as a Bulldog, transferring from Iowa Western Community College. Last season, she had 816 assists and 51 kills and led the team to 43 wins and two losses.
Middle blocker Maci Murdock begins her junior year. Last season, she started every match and appeared in every set for the Bulldogs. She hit .332, which was third in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) and tallied 107 blocks (102 of them assisted). At the end of the season, she tallied 360 points, averaging three points per game.
In this year’s senior class is Korrin Wild, the 5-foot-11-inch outside hitter from Kingsburg. As a junior last year, Wild played in all 120 sets for the Bulldogs. She led the team in double-doubles (14), kills (407) and points (478). Now, with the 2013 Bulldog Invitational in the books, Wild is already off to a fast start, with 36 kills in 15 sets (a 2.4 average).
Outside hitter Marissa Brand enters 2013 having appeared in all but one of the Bulldogs’ matches in 2012. She earned All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She was second on the team in kills, with 369 and had a total of 407.5 points.
Holly Franks, the senior right side hitter, is playing her first season as a Bulldog after spending three years at Cal Poly. As a Mustang in 2012, she played in 108 sets and totaled 318 kills. She earned all-tournment honors at USC and Utah.
Lauren Albertson, the senior middle blocker, aims to leave Fresno State on a high note. At 6-foot-3, she is a key player at the front line with the ability to deflect shots and protect the Bulldogs’ side of the court. Last season, she played in 120 sets and 29 matches, starting 23 of them. She ended the season with 165 points. five assists and 21 digs. In her career at Fresno State, she has 307 kills and 145 blocks.
Even though the lineup is stacked for the Bulldogs this season, conditioning never ends. There is always room for improvement and the team will dedicate time to ensure perfection.
After all, this team wants the top spot in the MWC.
“As a team, we’re just coming in each day, focusing on getting better and focusing on something we can work on,” Albertson said.