This weekend, the Fresno State Bulldogs women’s volleyball team will host its annual Fresno State Classic.
The tournament will welcome the Belmont University Bruins, California State University, Bakersfield Roadrunners and University of Oregon Ducks.
The Bulldogs are changing their game plan for this tournament. Fresno State coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell will implement a 6-2 offense, where there are six attackers in the front row and two setters.
“We’ve been working on serving and passing for a number of days and we’ve changed some things up,” Netherby-Sewell said. “We’re working on how to get our ball control and our offensive game a little tighter.”
Senior right side hitter Holly Franks recently set a school record with seven aces and had her second double-double of the season. The new offense will require Franks to stay out of the back row and move to the front as an attacker.
“She will be more of an offensive threat from the front row,” Netherby-Sewell said.
Freshman libero Maggie Eppright will get the nod as starter for the tournament. Eppright started for the first time against the Wichita State Shockers and had a career-high 14 digs in the game. She currently has 34 digs this season. In the Bulldogs’ victory against Portland, she had two service aces.
“[Serving is] going well,” Eppright said. “It’s harder to try to get the ball between the players at this level. The girls on the team have forced me to speed up my serve and reach higher, and that helps a lot.”
Christina Lee, who usually makes the start at libero, will be the setter during the tournament.
Scouting the opponents
Two of the teams in the classic made it to the NCAA Tournament last season: Belmont and Oregon.
“They look like they have some new things going on. I don’t know if they’ll be as strong as last year,” Netherby-Sewell said.
The Bulldogs will face the Bruins for the first time ever. The Bruins were picked to win the East Division of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in a preseason poll after finishing 11-5 against OVC members last year.
Bruin freshman outside hitter Jessica Vestal leads the team in kills (128) and is second in aces (10). She tallied 11 kills during the victory over Chattanooga on Tuesday. Senior setter Hannah Miranda leads the team in 344 assists.
The Roadrunners, originally picked to finish fifth in the Western Athletic Conference, enter the tournament with a 5-2 record. They are riding a 3-game winning streak, only losing two sets during that stretch.
Senior outside hitter Debora Araujo leads the squad after ranking in the top 50 nationally last season. Currently, she leads the team in kills (113) and points (125.5, 4.48/set).
The Bulldogs are 15-4 all time against the Roadrunners.
During the preseason, the Ducks were ranked No. 8 in the nation. They enter the classic with a 4-3 record after sweeping the University of Seattle 3-0 on Sunday.
At 9-10, Oregon is the only team in the tournament that the Bulldogs have a losing record against.
Ducks’ head coach Jim Moore has led the team since 2005, compiling a record of 166-86. He was named the 2012 National Coach of the Year by Volleyball Magazine.
Senior setter Lauren Plum had her 4,401 all-time assist, an Oregon record, when the Ducks faced Michigan. She enters the tournament with 251 assists this year.
“Oregon and Belmont are definitely going to be tough teams,” Franks said. “We’re not nervous; we just really want to play and we like the challenge.”