PHOENIX – The Fresno State volleyball team beat tournament host GCU in a five-set thriller to close out the GCU Invitational on Sunday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bulldogs applied early pressure to GCU by scoring five straight points to open the first set, kicked off by a kill from Sophomore Mya Sellers. The Antelopes gathered their bearings and tied the game at 10, but the Bulldogs did not allow them to take a lead in the set. Ella Rud led the charge with seven kills in the set, all assisted by Brooke Cowie who totaled 14 in the set. The 'Dogs stayed in control through the set and won with a seven-point lead over GCU.
Fresno State took a slow and steady approach to the second set, allowing GCU to hold a short lead. The Bulldogs picked up the pace with four kills from Jenna Legault that kept Fresno State ahead until GCU tied the game at 18. Both sides exchanged the same point for seven straight rallies to keep the game within one, but back-to-back kills from the Antelopes allowed GCU to pull ahead and win the second set 25-22.
GCU and Fresno State had an even start to set three, each side with four kills through a 10-10 tie score. The Bulldogs pulled ahead of the Antelopes by as much as four points but GCU was able to creep up past the 'Dogs and win by a four-point lead of its own. Kasey Purry and Dionii Fraga led the defense in the third set with three block assists from Purry and seven digs from Fraga.
The Lopes were not going down without a fight in the fourth set and had a firm grasp on the lead from the start. GCU out-killed the 'Dogs 14-11 with a .175 hitting percentage. Rud tacked on five more kills in the set assisted by Cowie who recorded 10 assists. The Antelopes clung tight to the fourth set and forced a fifth with a 25-19 win.
With their backs against the wall, the Bulldogs came out firing in the final set and had an 8-3 lead at the media time-out. Addison Haluska and Jenna Legault stepped up in the final set with seven kills to put the Bulldogs on top over GCU, 15-12 and 3-2 overall.
NOTES
Brooke Cowie tallied 138 assists, five kills, four service aces, 29 digs and eight total blocks to earn the tournament MVP title.
Also listed on the All-Tournament team are Ella Rud and Dionii Fraga.
Rud totaled 23 kills in the tournament's final game, just one shy from tying her career best.