Courtesy of Fresno State Athletics – 

LAS VEGAS – The Fresno State volleyball team is headed to the finals of the Mountain West Championship tournament after defeating the top-seeded Utah State Aggies, 3-1 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nev.

Fresno State is advancing to the Mountain West title game for the first time in program history.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Fresno State was locked in from the moment they stepped into Cox Pavilion, and it showed throughout the first set as the Bulldogs quickly took a seven-point lead over the Aggies in the first set. Utah State went on a run of its own to tie the game at 14-14. From that point forward, the two teams exchanged leads back and forth up to a score of 24-24. Brooke Cowie’s third kill of the night sealed in the first set for the Bulldogs with a score of 26-14.

The Aggies took the first set as a wake-up call and with 14 kills and a .294 attack percentage, defeated the Bulldogs 25-17 to tie the match at 1-1.

Fresno State came out swinging in the third set, with 19 kills and a team attack percentage of .405. Addison Haluska had nine kills out of 19 total from the Bulldogs with an attack percentage of .750 of her own in set three. The Bulldogs took a six-point lead over the Aggies at 13-7 that they kept a grip on through the match. Fresno State went up 2-1 over the Aggies after wrapping up the third set with a score of 25-18.

With the season on the line, Fresno State was firing in the fourth set as they swiftly took a lead of as much as seven points over the Aggies after being gridlock with Utah State to start the set. After falling behind 20-13, Utah State scored seven straight to tie the set at 20-20. Jenna Legault and Addison Haluska both tallied a pair of kills to put the Bulldogs on top 25-21 in the set and 3-1 over the Regular Season Conference Champions Utah State.

NOTES

  • The Bulldogs were 1-17 in conference play in the 2022 season, putting them very far away from a bid in the Mountain West Championship tournament that year. In one season, first-year head coach Leisa Rosen has taken the same team of girls to the MW Championship title match.
  • The duo of Kasey Purry and Grace Doyle are tied to lead the conference in blocks with 9 total each and 1.29 blocks per set in the championship tournament. They are closely followed by Brooke Cowie with eight total blocks and 1.14 blocks per set.
  • As a whole, Fresno State leads in the tournament in blocks with 34 assists and an average of 2.57 per set.
  • Fresno State has tallied 99 kills in the tournament so far, the most out of all six teams, with an average of 14.14 kills per set.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs are headed to the Mountain West Championship title game at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nev. tomorrow at 4 p.m. PT.

“Fresno State Athletics – Elevate: Imagine the Possibilities” – The Elevate Campaign provides a visionary roadmap to enhance and construct a series of athletic facilities to help further position Fresno State Athletics for sustained competitive success nationally, while also further serving as a source of pride and economic growth throughout California’s Central Valley. For more information, visit GoBulldogs.com/elevate.