Defending champion Utah State falls to Fresno Bulldogs at WAC Tournament
With a display of impressive volleyball, Fresoo State Bulldogs pulled off success in the quarter-final match of Western Athletic Conference tournament on Monday, November 21 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bulldogs were challenged by defending
WAC tournament champion Utah State. The Fresno State ladies worked out a stellar performance and won the match in straight sets (25-18, 25-19, 25-10). From start to end, the Bulldogs remained remarkably consistent and eventually dismissed their resilient rival.
Senior middle blocker, Brianna Clarke, was critical to the Bulldogs’ victory. She torched the opponent offensively with 12 kills at .733 hitting percentage. Sophomore second-team honouree Korrin Wild achieved a career three-set best 17 kills to lead Bulldogs
to the straight-set win.
Fresno State started things off with strong serves in the opening set. Clarke scored the first point for Bulldogs on a wonderful kill, which perfectly landed in the opponent’s half. Utah State responded in the same tone and attacked via Sorensen. First tie
of the scores was created at 1-1. Afterwards, the game experienced various ups and downs but both teams remained hand-in-hand. Bulldogs strengthened their grip on the ball and cruised past to first set win, 25-18.
Ohio State was all up to hit the equalizer in second set. They regrouped and used the back-row attack. The players developed good timing to hit the ball but still failed to down the charged-up Bulldogs. The game of ‘hit and run’ continued till the end, while
Fresno State managed to secure another set in the match, 25-19.
Ohio State players looked visibly exhausted and disgruntled with the current state of affairs in the match. Despite great effort, they were unable to overcome the Bulldogs. On contrary, Bulldogs enjoyed great rhythm and won the match by claiming third set,
25-10.
The winning head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell expressed his emotions in the following manner: "That was awesome - we've peaked at the right time. It was impressive. We found guts and consistency. Everybody did their job. Top to bottom, it was terrific."
He also hoped that team will carry the momentum in the next match.
Likewise, MB Clarke said. "Tonight was so great! The way that we came together and played as a team was so phenomenal. We are so strong as a whole when we play together."
In the next run, 5th-seeded Fresno State volleyball squad will rally against top-seeded Hawai in the semi-final of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday. The Orleans’ Arena will set up the field of play for the important match.
It is the first time that Bulldogs are going against the Rainbow Wahine in the two school's final meeting as members of the WAC. It is surely going to be a cracking fight, check back for latest results and reports.
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