Bulldogs' win delayed by La Tech
Andrew Riggs / The Collegian
Karli Houston provided a spark off the bench for the Bulldogs. |
By Darrell Copeland III
The Collegian
It took more work than it would have hoped for, but the Fresno State volleyball team pulled it out in the end.
The Bulldogs fourth win of the season — against the Western Athletic Conference cellar dwelling Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters — was pushed into a five-set duel before the Bulldogs ran away, winning 30-26, 20-30, 27-30, 30-26 and 15-8.
A tougher than expected Lady Techsters defense posed problems for the Bulldogs’ attack, which hit only .231 in the match. Louisiana Tech had 11 total team blocks in the match to go with a .253 hitting percentage, but it could not cash in on its offensive opportunities.
Both teams seemed to come out of the locker room without much energy, but the boost from the Bulldogs’ bench made the difference, as freshmen Karli Houston and Nicole Sandino’s offensive and defensive play, respectively, gave Fresno State the boost it needed.
The lack of energy, which forced Bulldogs head coach Ruben Nieves to call on his bench, led to an ugly win, but according to Nieves, that’s how they are going to have to be.
“We’re at a stage in our program though, where a lot of our wins will be ugly wins,” Nieves said.
With a freshmen-laden squad, the Bulldogs are in a position where maturity and understanding the game at the Division I level are a concern, according to Nieves.
“It’s not understanding what it takes to be successful at this level,” Nieves said in regards to his team’s struggles against the Lady Techsters. “And quite honestly, not everybody learns it.”
Houston — who is one of the freshmen that may fit into the understanding scenario — admitted the Bulldogs may have taken Louisiana Tech a bit more lightly than they should have.
“I think we underestimated them a little bit,” Houston said. “I was gonna be pissed if we didn’t win.”
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