Bulldogs fall to Aggies in
three
'Dogs start
off strong but lack the energy to hang with quick hitters
Joseph Vasquez /
The Collegian
Going against taller blockers, hitting off the block was what the
Bulldogs tried to do all the way through Thursday night’s
game. That’s what Angela Wiggins did on her way to 11 kills
against New Mexico State.
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By Maggie Thach
The Collegian
New Mexico State’s 2-3
conference record is deceiving. Just last week, they took powerhouse Hawaii
to a five-game match and boasts two players, Kim Oguh and Amber Simpson,
who are in the top three in the conference in hitting percentage. Still,
the Bullldogs kept up with the Aggies, almost tallying New Mexico State
dig for dig in the first game. Despite a close defensive battle, it was
New Mexico State’s hitting that won the first game, and then the
two following with a score of 30-27,30-28, 30-23.
The Bulldogs did a good job of containing redshirt freshman Simpson, who
posed the biggest problem in the teams’ first meeting, holding her
to only nine kills. But teammates Oguh and Tanya Allen over-compensated
for Simpson, combining for 31 kills.
“The quick attack was our biggest problem,” head coach Ruben
Nieves said. “[New Mexico State] runs a true quick hit. That got
the better of us.”
Fresno State’s usual go-to player Kasie Spencer struggled in the
match. She had three kills and five blocks.
“Everybody knows we count on Kasie a lot for offense,” Nieves
said. “They did the best job, out of everyone we’ve played
of containing her.”
Fresno State stayed with the Aggies in the first two games, never trailing
more than six points. But by the third game, the Aggies went to the quick
attack often and led by as many as 11. The Bulldogs closed the gap slightly,
going on a 7-5 run but the Aggies went to Oguh for the kill that would
win the match. Oguh finished with 17 kills and five blocks.
Power wasn’t the only way the Aggies got their kills to hit the
floor. New Mexico State found the holes on the court on short dinks and
deep corners.
“Our biggest obstacle was communication,” said Alison Pitton,
who had 12 kills. “We gave them a good first game but it was really
quiet out there. It was just a lack of effort. Mentally, we weren’t
all there. They didn’t see the best we had to offer.”
The Bulldogs hope to offer their best on Saturday against a Louisiana
Tech team that sports the same conference record. Louisianaa Tech won
the first time the teams met in a four-game match.
“That was a good team but it was more stuff on our side that we
needed to improve,” said Robyn Keune, who finished with 31 assists.
“We just need to come into the gym and have a good practice. Saturday
is a win we want and need. More than anything, we need to focus on our
game. When we do that, we do just fine.”
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