Bulldogs take Ducks to four
'Dogs give
taller Oregon team more competition second time around
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Joseph Vasquez /
The Collegian
A disadvantage in height
gave senior setter Robyn Keune no reason to worry against 6-foot-2
Oregon freshman Mira Djuric. Keune, 5-foot-8, had five assisted
blocks for the game.
Joseph Vasquez /
The Collegian
Kasie Spencer finds a
hole between Oregon’s Mira Djuic and Kelly Russell. Plays
like this are what led to Spencer’s game-leading 22 kills.
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By Noe Sacoco
The Collegian
The Fresno State women’s
volleyball team registered a tough four-game loss (38-36, 30-21, 30-24
and 30-19) against the Oregon Ducks (10-1) Saturday night at the Save
Mart Center.
After losing to the Ducks the previous night in the North Gym, head coach
Ruben Nieves emphasized to his team about making tactical and emotional
adjustments heading into Saturday’s game.
“We definitely wanted to come out aggressive, start aggressive and
stay aggressive at crunch time,” Nieves said.
Fresno State (2-8) opened the game by scoring the first four points. The
Bulldogs played hard-nosed defense with junior outside hitter Cassie Gilford
leading game one with 11 digs. Both teams exchanged points in a marathon
thriller. However, the Bulldogs prevailed by staying aggressive and held
off three match points to win the first game 38-36 and led in hitting
percentage .204 to .071.
Unlike game two on Friday, where the Bulldogs let an 8-point lead evaporate,
Fresno State overcame jitters and nerves.
“Last night we were nervous because it was our first home game,”
outside hitter Angela Wiggins said. “But tonight we played harder
with more intensity.”.
Senior setter Robyn Kuene directed the Fresno State offense with her leadership
and led the match with 55 assists. Kasie Spencer led all players with
22 kills.
“As a veteran, I look to provide stability and energy,” Kuene
said.
In game two, the Bulldogs continued to play scrappy and hustled after
each ball. But with the strong offensive play and net coverage where four
Ducks combined for eight assisted blocks, Fresno State trailed the Ducks
throughout the game. Service errors and miscommunication cost the Bulldogs
the second game.
Defensively, both teams were nearly equal with the Bulldogs tallying 80
digs to Oregon’s 79. Keune, Gilford and Cheryl Selenak combined
for 53 digs, six more than the team had Friday.
Fresno State made costly errors on key rallies and trailed Oregon in the
first half of the third game. But after a Bulldog timeout and trailing
18-23, the Bulldogs executed and played efficiently at the net. The trio
of Keune, Wiggins and Spencer were a force at the net during critical
rallies and combined for three blocks.
“I say bring it on,” Keune said. “It’s fun. They
don’t expect blocks from a little person.”
But with the strong serves and offensive play of 6-foot-2 freshman Mira
Djuric of Serbia, who tallied 19 kills for the match, Oregon was too much
for the Bulldogs in game three.
“Djuric is a smart player and gets stronger and stronger as the
game progresses,” Nieves said.
Sophomore middle blocker Alisha McKee was the offensive spark for the
Bulldogs in game four. Mckee had four kills and one block assist. The
Bulldogs could not get in an offensive flow and hitting errors plagued
the Bulldogs.
Nieves expressed room for improvement in his squad and believes there
is more his squad has to work on.
“We still have a ways to go,” Nieves said. “We still
have to develop a stronger belief in our talent.”
There were 963 fans in attendance Saturday night for the first and only
volleyball game at the Save Mart Center.
The Bulldogs will begin WAC play next Saturday against Idaho at the North
Gym at 7 p.m.
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