FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State volleyball team opened conference play at the Save Mart Center with a 3-1 loss to San Jose State as part of the Mountain West Tuesday Night Block Party.
Fresno State started strong with balanced contributions from Kasey Purry, Ella Rud, and Addison Haluska early in the match. Fresno State turned an 8-8 tie into a 12-8 lead with blocks from Purry and Cowie, followed by kills from Rud. San Jose State managed to tie the game at 15-15, but the Bulldogs pulled ahead late in the set with a service ace from Purry and a key kill from Rud, securing the set 25-23.
Fresno State jumped out to an 8-2 lead to start the second set, forcing a time out from the Spartans thanks to strong attacking from the Bulldogs, but San Jose State found momentum with solid defense and a few Fresno State attack errors. After a 19-19 tie, the Spartans pulled ahead with the help of multiple Bulldog errors and won the set 25-21.
San Jose State dominated early in the third set, racing to a 7-3 lead. The Bulldogs struggled with attack errors and could not find a consistent offensive rhythm. San Jose State's blocking and aggressive serving widened the gap. The 'Dogs could not recover, falling 25-16.
Despite an early back-and-forth battle that saw the fourth set score tied at 8-8, Fresno State fell behind due to attack errors and strong defensive play from San Jose State. The Spartans were strong at the net with both attacks and blocks, surging them to a 21-15 lead. A service ace and back-to-back blocks sealed the match for San Jose State, as Fresno State fell 25-15 in the set and 3-1 overall.
NOTES
Despite a .074 hitting percentage, the 'Dogs totaled 47 kills, only one less than the Spartans.
Brooke Cowie earned her seventh double-double of the season with 38 assists and 18 digs tonight.
Ella Rud led the team with 18 kills, followed by Addison Haluska with 15.
Mya Sellers earned a career-high three solo blocks.
UP NEXT
Fresno State will wrap up the home stand on Thursday evening in the Save Mart Center, facing Boise State at 6 p.m.