By: David Chavez & Jenna Wilson

Name: Lauren Torres #2

Sport & Position: Volleyball, Middle Blocker

Year & Major: Junior, Exercise Science

Hometown: Visalia, California

DC: What’s it like being from the Valley and now representing it at the collegiate level?

LT: The Central Valley is my home. Coming to Fresno State and coming as a Central Valley girl is just really fun. It’s awesome to be here my whole life and then go on to the next level and then go out, fight hard and play the sport I love.

DC: You guys are off to a great start, what is it about this team that’s made you guys successful so far?

LT: We’re Bulldogs, and we fight. We don’t care who our opponent is. We come, and we just fight. We figure things out, and we find ways to be successful. We just have this grit attitude.

DC: What is your approach to every game? How do you prepare yourself?

LT: Before every game, we all get together. We pray. We throw in little pep talks here and there. [At home], we go under [an inflatable dome], and we yell. We go crazy. I like to do a mosh pit thing.

DC: Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

LT: Every single warmup, my routine has to be exactly the same. I have to serve on the same exact side, from the same spot. I just have to feel good. One thing I always have to do is I always have to have my headband on and my hair really, really high. If I don’t, I just feel like I’m not going to play well. You’ve got to look good to play good.

DC: Do you have any pet peeves?

LT: It’s kind of weird, if my hair isn’t on point or if I have loops all in my hair. On the court, when I go super hard for a hit, and there’s no block, and I get over excited, and I just want to crush it, and then it ends up being a really soft hit because I get too excited and I’m like ‘dang it,’ but I still get the kill.

DC: What does it mean to be a Bulldog?

LT: You’ve got to have the vigor and the grit. Bulldogs pick each other up. We’re a family on the court. If someone’s lagging, we help each other and bring each other up.

Name: Aaron Peck #7

Sport & Position: Football, Wide Receiver

Year & Major: Senior, Business Administration- Sports Marketing

Hometown: Moreno Valley, California­

JW: How did it feel to finally get back on the field after not being able to play last year?

AP: It was a lot of fun, just the whole experience of traveling with the team and just being somewhere else besides Bulldog Stadium. It’s always great to be back after injury. It was a long rehab process, but I am happy to be back.

JW: What is your favorite part about playing here at Bulldog Stadium?

AP: The Red Wave. They love us no matter how the season is going. They will come out and support and cheer for us. Having the fans’ support behind us while we go out and play some good ball.

JW: Do you have any rituals that you do before games or superstitions that you believe in?

AP: I don’t know if it’s really a ritual, but before I leave for team meal, I blast my music and I have to take a shower. I take one in the morning, but right before team meal, I have to take a shower. It’s just something I do.

JW: If you weren’t playing football, what sport would you be playing and what position in that sport?

AP: Basketball, definitely. I would probably be a two guard, I am a scorer. I like to score. In high school, I was taller so they kind of had me everywhere. At the collegiate level, I would be like a Big West type of person. I’d definitely be a solid two guard.

JW: What’s next for you after this season?

AP: I am trying to play professionally somewhere. I’ll finish the season off and see where that takes me. But after football I’ll have my degree in sports marketing so I don’t really know yet. I interned here [Fresno State Athletics], so I will probably try to come back and potentially get a job here.

JW: To get drafted by any NFL team would be a dream come true, but if you could pick any team which would it be?

AP: Definitely the Chargers. I am a So Cal guy from Riverside. I grew up loving them. I am a huge LT (Ladainian Tomlinson) fan, and right now Keenan Allen is my favorite receiver. If it happens to be the Chargers, that would be my ideal place.

JW: You had 112 total receiving yards against Nebraska. What can you take from that going into the next game and for the rest of the season?

AP: Just continuing to try to up my game. We know Nebraska is a tough opponent. Just taking my performance, as well as the other wide receivers, I know that we can build off last week, and I know that for the rest of the season we will be able to throw for 300 to 400 yards because we have playmakers on the outside that can make those plays.

JW: What does it mean to you to be a Bulldog?

AP: Right now, it’s my life. It’s how I live day by day: being tough-nosed, being tough-minded. Just really being a community person. I think being a Bulldog is a real, brotherhood-like community. The whole Valley supports each other, and it has been a lot of fun for me these last five years.

Name: Myra Delgadillo #11

Sport & Position: Soccer, Forward

Year & Major: Junior, Criminology

Hometown: Union City, California

DC: You guys started off the season losing three straight, but then you came back to win two games in a row. What does that say about the team?

MD: I feel like we have a lot of potential together. It’s just we have to start off strong instead of having to wait till the second half to try to win the game.

DC: In the game against Portland, you guys were down 2-0 at halftime. The team came back to win 4-3. What was done to battle back in the second half?

MD: I feel like everyone just stepped it up. Everyone knew that we had to come back. We’ve been playing really good teams, and I feel like the second half is just magical for us. Everyone’s mentality is like, ‘Let’s go to the goal and score.’

DC: What is your approach to every game? How do you prepare yourself?

MD: Every day I take it as if it was my last game that I was ever going to play, and I just play the hardest that I can.

DC: Do you have any pre-game rituals or superstitions?

MD: I don’t. I just hope that I don’t get hurt and that’s it.

DC: What do you feel is your role on the team?

MD: My role on the team is to score. Since I’m a forward, I feel like everyone looks to me to take defenders on and be the scorer of the team.

DC: What does it mean to be a Bulldog?

MD: It’s a pleasure. I’m here to represent the school and also represent where I’m from, which is San Francisco. So it’s a pleasure to represent that side and this side as well.

DC: What has been the biggest difference from previous years to now?

MD: Everyone has been learning more. Everyone is on the same page, and I feel like the newcomers are also on the same page as well. From the returners to the incoming players, everyone is playing hard.