Oct. 20, 2001

Box Score

FRESNO, Calif. - It was a tale of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Good news, first, the Fresno State volleyball team won the blocking battle against No. 12 Hawai'i and senior middle blocker Shauna McQuaid was the only player in the match to post a double-double. Second, the bad news was that the Bulldogs were swept in three and had their nine-match home win streak snapped. Third, the ugly news was that the 'Dogs have now fallen into fourth place in the Western division of the Western Athletic Conference race as hopes of a NCAA Tournament now hinges on the final six matches of the season.

Fresno State, which used 12 players in the match, was swept for just the third time this season as the 12th-ranked Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine took care of business with a 30-24, 30-20 and 30-15 victory to run their win streak to 11 straight.

The Bulldogs, who were behind in all three games but made short rallies in the first two, hit a .082 while the Wahine hit a blistering .455 while doubling the 'Dogs in kills (56-28) and nearly in digs (45-29). Fresno State did win the battle at the net (6-5) and continued its strong blocking as the Bulldogs have been nationally-ranked the past five weeks.

Senior middle blocker Shauna McQuaid tallied a double-double, her third of her career, with a team-high 10 kills and a career- and match-high 12 digs. Ranked No. 21 in the lastest NCAA stats in blocking, McQuaid also added a service ace and two blocks. Senior outside hitter Christy Burnett chipped in seven kills and seven digs.

Hawai'i was led by Kim Willoughby, who notched 24 kills and eight digs while hitting .550 (24-2-40) in the match. The closest Rainbow Wahine behind Willoughby was Maja Gustin, who totaled eight kills.

"We did not show up to play," said head coach Lindy Vivas, who was honored this afternoon with a plaque commemorating her 200th win at Fresno State. "When that happens against a team like Hawai'i, the results are not positive. Shauna [McQuaid] and Christy [Burnett] played well and I thought our setters, who saw action against a national power like Hawai'i for the first time, also did well. Most of our success comes from the middle and that happens when the passing is there. Bottom line today, we did not have firepower from the outside and you need that to win matches."

The Bulldogs will step out of WAC play with a non-conference contest against CS Northridge on Wednesday, Oct. 24 before closing out their home schedule with WAC rival San Jose State on Saturday, Oct. 27. Both matches are slated for a 7:00 p.m. start.