'Dogs earn first conference win
| 
Joseph
Vasquez / The Collegian
An undersized Alison
Pitton used every inch of her 5-foot-11 frame to get the 26 kills
that led the Bulldogs to a five-game match agaisnt the Aggies. The
Bulldogs gave the Aggies their first loss in WAC play. |
By Noe Sacoco
The Collegian
Despite a height disadvantage,
the volleyball team snapped its 10-game losing streak by stunning a much
taller Utah State in a five-game thriller.
Fresno State (3-11, 1-3 WAC) head coach Ruben Nieves said his team executed
effectively and played with a focused demeanor defeating the Aggies in
five games (29-31, 26-30, 30-27, 30-21 and 13-15), becoming the first
team in the WAC to beat Utah State.
“Tonight we played with a calmness I have never seen,” Nieves
said “We were the more poised team of the two.”
The Aggies (9-6, 4-1 WAC) utilized its height and had 12 block assists
in game one. However, the Aggies were unable to stop the tandem of outside
hitters Ilima Sam Fong and Alison Pitton who tallied nine kills in game
one. The Bulldogs were down by as many as seven points, but executed on
key rallies to take the game.
“It’s a challenge playing against taller players. But we have
to stay aggressive,” Sam Fong said.
The Bulldogs showcased their blocking ability in game one with the duo
of Robyn Kuene and Jessica Peterson combining for four block assists.
“Blocking coverage was something we focused on this week during
practice,” outside hitter Pitton said.
Fresno State capitalized on Utah State’s mistakes in game two. The
Aggies led the Bulldogs by as much as five points, but costly errors plagued
the Aggies. The Bulldogs were in an offensive flow leading the Aggies
in hitting percentage and Pitton spearheading the offense with 26 kills
in the match.
The Bulldogs opened game three by winning the first point and found its
way to a four-point lead but the Aggies took the game with strong hitting.
The Aggies were tenacious at the net, which helped them to a 10-point
lead, disturbing the Bulldog offense with 14 block assists. The Bulldogs
went on a mini-run at 12-18 to cut into the Aggie lead. But, the Aggies
were too much of an offensive threat. Beth Hodge led the Aggie offense
with six kills.
“The first two games we came out and made things happen, but during
the third and fourth games we expected things to happen,” Sam Fong
said. “Our coaches emphasized that we needed to make plays happen.”
In the fifth and final game, both teams exchanged points in the early
going. However, the Bulldogs jumped to a 9-6 lead and never looked back.
With their perfect conference record on the line, the Aggies were able
to hold off one match point but failed to capitalize.
Fresno State will play at No. 11 Hawaii on Saturday.
Comment
on this story in the Sports forum >>
|
