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Oct. 30, 2000

FRESNO, Calif. - Bulldogs Enter Final Leg of Season
Fresno State's Western Athletic Conference and regular season has just seven matches remaining on tap. Five of those league contests are on the road, beginning this weekend with trips to Nevada on Thursday, Nov. 2 and No. 2 Hawai'i on Saturday, Nov. 4. The Bulldogs remain in fourth place in the league standings with a 5-4 mark. UH sits in first place at 10-0 while San Jose State is second at 8-1 and Nevada is third at 8-3.

Looking to Close Out Strong
Fresno State has won five of its last eight matches and recently had its three-match win streak halted against San Jose State last weekend. In their three-match win streak, Fresno State hit .294 (200-473) and held opponent's to a .208 average. Averaging 15.08 assists and 14.17 digs, the Bulldogs outblocked their opponent's two-to-one (34.5-16.0) and averaged 2.88 blocks a game to their 1.33 block per game average.

Victories vs. Statistics
Fresno State has come a long way from 12 matches ago to present. Posting a 5-7 worksheet in its last 12 to going 5-3 in its last eight, Fresno State has seen every offensive and defensive category improve. From Sept. 21 in its loss to the University of San Diego through Oct. 28 in its loss to San Jose State, Fresno State is hitting .208 while opponent's are hitting .249. Yet the Bulldogs are outblocking its opponent's with an average of 2.59 blocks a game to their 2.24. In the last 10 matches from Sept. 23 in the loss to Southeast Missouri State through Oct. 28, Fresno State is hitting .224 and the opponent's are hitting .256 while the 'Dogs are still holding strong at the net with a 2.56 block per game average to their opponent's 2.09 average. In Fresno State's last eight matches, the Bulldogs are hitting .241 and the opponent's are hitting .251. Fresno State is averaging 14.70 assists and 14.61 digs a game while the opponent's are averaging 14.73 assists and 14.79 digs a game. Fresno State continues to outblock them (2.71-2.08). In their last four, the 'Dogs are outhitting (.267- .240) and outblocking (2.57-1.57) their opponents.

Getting It Going
After rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the victory over Tulsa and giving itself its first come-from-behind victory on the season three weeks ago, Fresno State has won five of its last eight. Since their loss to Hawai'i, the 'Dogs are averaging 16.42 kills and are hitting .241 (542-212-1367) in their last eight matches. Also averaging 14.70 assists per game, the 'Dogs are averaging 1.76 aces and 2.71 blocks a game since Sept. 30 with their five-game over Nevada. With nine double-digit block performances to date, Fresno State has 10 or more blocks in five of its last eight while hitting .221 or better in six of those matches.

Bulldogs Rank Second in WAC Attendance
Fresno State ranks second in the conference in total and average attendance. The Bulldogs, who have played 13 matches at home this season, have drawn 6,119 fans for an average of 471 per match. Eclipsing the 100,000 fans mark for five straight seasons, Hawai'i leads the nation in attendance and is averaging 6,901 fans in 13 matches.

Head Coach Lindy Vivas
In her tenth season as head coach of the Bulldog volleyball program, Lindy Vivas (UCLA, 1980) picked up her 250th career win in the season opener against Siena. Now 11 wins shy of capturing her 200th win at Fresno State, Vivas has directed the 'Dogs to five postseason appearances in the last nine years. The two-time WAC Coach of the Year honoree has led the Bulldogs to two NCAA Tournament showings (1991-98) and three NIVC appearances (1995-94-92) since her arrival in 1991. Averaging 20 wins a year with an 84-43 (.661) home court record, Vivas has coached three all-region and 15 All-WAC picks. Vivas, who led the Bulldogs to three straight WAC Volleyball Tournaments (1996-98), owns a 14-year career record of 261-184 (.587) and a ten-year school record of 189-124 (.604).

Live Broadcast On the Web
Fresno State broadcasted its first-ever volleyball match on its official athletic web site at www.gobulldogs.com, against SMU on Oct. 21. The final two home matches of the season against Rice (Nov. 10) and UTEP (Nov. 11) can also be picked up as a live broadcast on the web. In addition, fans can listen to the "Lindy Vivas Show" and watch highlights from the 1999 season on the school's web site. Fans need to click on the audio icon on the Bulldogs' front page to hear Vivas and watch the video.

WAC Week in Review: Week 5
Fresno State posted a 0-1 conference mark on the road last weekend after being swept by San Jose State ... The Spartans won both meetings against the Bulldogs this season and have now won the last six contests that span the last three years ... In the loss to SJSU, the Spartans outkilled (48-34), outhit (.400-.140), outdug (37-29) and outblocked (7.5-4.0) the Bulldogs ... Sophomore outside hitter Christy Burnett (Fallbrook, Calif.) was the only 'Dog to total 10 or more kills in the loss ... Burnett tallied a team-high 12 kills and hit .280 (12-5-25) and added two assists, six digs and one block ... Junior middle blocker Shauna McQuaid (San Diego, Calif.) added seven kills while freshman outside hitter Kara Verwey (Kerman, Calif.) chipped in five kills and added two service aces and five digs ... Freshman setter Chelsey Duley (Tollhouse, Calif.) got her first action in WAC play ... In two games, Duley picked up nine assists, one ace and one dig ... San Jose State's Joslynn Gallop broke the WAC's all-time career kill record once held by Fresno State's Tricia Tuley (1,804, 1993-96) ... Gallop surpassed the record against Fresno State and has now totaled 1,806 career kills ... Fresno State had its three-match win streak snapped by the Spartans ... The Bulldogs conclude the month of October with a 4-3 worksheet after going 8-8 in September ... In WAC play to date, McQuaid is hitting .306 (135-281) and is averaging 3.75 kills per game through nine outings ... Having her seven-match double-digit kill streak halted by SJSU, McQuaid is also posting a team-high 44 blocks (1.22 bpg) ... Freshman outside hitter Stefanie Taelman (Gavere, Belgium) is next with a .270 hitting percentage (54-148) and is averaging 2.35 kills per game ... Also having her seven-match double-figure kill streak snapped against San Jose State, sophomore middle blocker Lindsay Closs (Spokane, Wash.) is hitting .256 (94-223) in WAC play while averaging 2.76 kills and 1.21 blocks a game (41 blocks).

Nevada (11-10, 8-3 WAC)
In third place in the WAC standings, Nevada is coming off a pair of league victories on the road after sweeping SMU (15-13, 15-9, 16-14) and getting a five-game decision over TCU (15-12, 15-2, 10-15, 5-15, 15-9). The Wolf Pack have won their last four straight and have won seven of their last eight and 10 of their last 13. The three losses in its last 13 matches have come from San Jose State, Fresno State and Hawai'i. Enjoying a 6-3 home court record, this weekend's matches against Fresno State and San Jose State should solidify the top four teams in the conference with just two weeks to go. As a team, Nevada is hitting .185 while averaging 15.64 kills per game. However, the Wolf Pack is solid in defense with a 16.99 dig per game average and 2.58 block per game average. Individually, sophomore middle blocker Michelle More continues to serve as the Wolf Pack's catalyst. More, who ranks 10th in the WAC in hitting efficiency (.273) and kills per game (3.51), leads the team with 281 kills. She also is tops on the team in block solos 917), block assists (77) and total blocks (94). Her 1.17 block per game average ranks sixth-best in the conference. Right behind More is junior outside hitter Suzanne Stonebarger. She has totaled 266 kills (3.33 kpg) and leads Nevada in service aces (22, 0.28 sapg) and digs (320). She is the WAC's second-best digger at 4.00 digs per game. Fresno State holds a 12-3 all-time series lead.

Last Meeting
In the first meeting on Sept. 30 in Fresno, the Bulldogs pulled out a five-game victory (15-12, 10-15, 7-15, 15-8, 15-13) after trailing two games to one. The win evened the 'Dogs overall record to 8-8 and 1-1 in the WAC as well as breaking their four-match losing streak. Posting a season-high 28 block assists, Fresno State had four players post double-figure kills and four collect double-figure digs. Verwey led the way with a match- and season-high 24 kills while notching a team-best 13 digs to go along with three blocks. McQuaid chipped in 17 kills and had a career-high nine blocks. Burnett and Closs each tallied 11 kills a piece with Burnett and senior defensive specialist Leilua Satele (Long Beach, Calif.) each recording 12 digs. More led the Wolf Pack with 20 kills and four blocks while freshman middle blocker Tiffany Oliver added 18 kills and five blocks. Stonebarger chipped in 16 kills and had a match-high 17 digs.

#2 Hawai'i (20-0, 10-0 WAC)
With a perfect 20-0 record this season, Hawai'i ranks second in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 poll and first in Volleyball Magazine's Top 20. The Rainbow Wahine have strung together five-straight three-game victories and have swept their opponents 15 times while going more than three games just five times this season. Hawai'i is coming off a pair of three-game sweeps on the road at TCU (17-15, 15-10, 15-8) and SMU (15-4, 15-9, 15-9). As a team, UH is hitting .305 while averaging 16.79 kills, 15.29 digs and 3.17 blocks per game. Individually, sophomore outside hitter Lily Kahumoku leads the team in kills (278) and is averaging 4.71 kills a game which ranks second in the WAC's statistics. Senior outside hitter Jessica Sudduth is right behind with 217 kills (3.39 kpg) and is averaging 2.34 digs (150) and 0.53 blocks (340 a game. Hawai'i holds an all-time series lead of 24-0. Hawai'i entertains San Jose State on Thursday, Nov. 2, before hosting Fresno State on Saturday.

Last Meeting
Fresno State opened WAC play and slipped below .500 for the first time on the season after dropping a three-game decision to No. 2 Hawai'i (15-5, 15-4, 15-10). With 14 different Bulldogs seeing action in the match, Fresno State was led by McQuaid who collected nine kills and had two blocks. Burnett and Verwey added seven kills a piece. Satele had a match-high six digs. Kahumoku posted a match-high 15 kills while hitting .462 (15-3-26) and adding two service aces in the victory. Sudduth tallied 11 kills and hit .474 (11-2-19) and added four digs. Junior middle hitter Veronica Lima chipped in nine kills while freshman middle hitter Maja Gustin had seven kills and a match-high seven total blocks.

2000 Bulldog Volleyball Capsules
So., OH, Christy Burnett
Has 13 double-figure kill matches & 17 double-figure dig matches ... has 11 double-doubles ... first career 20-kill match vs Central Michigan ... opened year with 7 straight double-figure dig matches, including season-high 16 vs CMU ... career-best 3 aces vs George Mason ... career-high 4 assists against Denver ... career-high 4 block assists & total blocks vs UTEP ... has at least one block in 11 matches ... second on team in digs (224) & third in kills (242)... 2000 Fresno State Invitational all-tourney.

So., MB, Lindsay Closs
Posted a season-high 7 straight double-digit kill matches & averaged 13.0 kills while averaging 5.43 blocks ... has 16 double-figure kill matches ... has at least one block in every match ... leads team in block solos (20), block assists (79) & total blocks (99) while second in kills (250) ... season-best 9 total blocks vs George Mason, including career-high four block solos... season-high 16 kills vs Southeast Missouri ... season-best 5 digs against Denver & SMU ... in career, has at least one block in 38 of 39 matches played ... has 23 double-figure kill & two double-figure dig matches ... all-tourney at Brion's Grille/Patriot Invite (2000) & USF/Golden Gate Classic (1999) ... first career triple-double vs. Nevada (13k-11d-10tb) in 1999.

Fr., S, Chelsey Duley
Missed six matches due to a knee injury ... season-high 61 assists vs CS Fullerton ... season-high 8 kills vs. Southeast Missouri ... season-best 16 digs vs. #19 Santa Clara ... has at least one block in 13 of 17 matches (seen significant time in 16 matches), including season-high 7 blocks vs #19 Santa Clara ... averaging 10.22 assists per game ... in career, has two double-figure dig matches.

Sr., OH, Malia Malu
Has double-figure digs in 13 matches, including a season-high 20 vs #19 Santa Clara ... has 4 double-figure kill matches, including season-best 15 vs San Jose State ... season-high 7 total blocks vs Tulsa ... tied career-high with 2 block solos vs Tulsa ... has at least 1 block in 19 matches ... has 4 double-doubles on year ... in career, ranks No. 10 in career assists (527) ... has 10+ digs in 43 matches & 10+ kills in 13 with 11 double-doubles ... first career 20/20 match against Sac State as a junior ... received the team's Best Defensive award in 1999 ... 2000 Denver Invitational all-tournament (first career pick).

Jr., MB, Shauna McQuaid
Had second streak of seven straight double-figure kill matches & averaged 17.0 kills (119)... opened year with 7 consecutive double-figure kill matches & averaged 16.29 kills (114) ... has at least 12 kills in 17 double-figure kill matches out of 20 matches played ... season-best 20 kills (second career 20-kill match) vs George Mason ... tied career-best 9 blocks vs Nevada ... career-high 12 digs vs Rice (first career double-double: 18 k, 12 d) ... career-high 5 assists vs CS Fullerton ... has at least 1 block in every match but one ... leads team in kills (303) & second in blocks (87) ... in career, has at least 1 total block in 45 of 50 matches ... 2000 Brion's Grille/Patriot and Fresno State Invitational all-tourney ... 1999 USF/Golden Gate Classic MVP ... has 10+ kills in 27 matches, 2 20+ kill matches, 1 ten+ dig & 1 double-double.

So., S, Brittney Pearson
Career-high 61 assists vs UTEP ... career-best 8 kills vs Denver ... career-high 3 aces vs Siena ... career-high 12 digs vs San Jose State ... career-best 4 block assists & total blocks vs UTEP ... has at least one block in 8 matches ... averaging 8.10 assists per game ... in career, has 4 double-figure dig matches.

Jr., OH, Kristin Pierpont
Missed first 11 matches (44 games) ... season-high 2 assists vs San Diego & 5 digs vs SMU ... got first kill on year against #2 Hawai'i before collecting second kill vs Nevada ... in career, has 10+ kills in five matches & 10+ digs in nine.

Sr., DS, Leilua Satele
Third on the team in digs (192) ... season-best 15 digs , 3 assists & 3 aces vs Southeast Missouri ... has 8 double-figure dig matches ... has a kill vs San Diego, Southeast Missouri , Nevada, Rice & Tulsa ... in career, 1999 Fresno State Invitational all-tourney ... team awards in Academic Excellence, Most Improved and the Sally Adley Coaches Award ... 1999 second team all-WAC ... has 10+ digs in 18 matches.

Fr., OH, Stefanie Taelman
First career double-double vs Rice with season-best 15 kills & 11 digs ... career-best 3 block assists vs Tulsa, TCU & SMU ... has 3 double-figure kill & dig matches... has 1 double-double (vs. Rice, 15 K, 11 d).

Fr., OH, Taneisha Tilque
First collegiate kill vs Maryland-Baltimore County ... season-best 7 kills vs Denver, 12 digs vs Butler and 4 assists & 2 aces vs Nevada ...season-best 4 block assists vs Tulsa ... in career, has 2 double-figure dig matches.

Fr., OH, Kara Verwey
Double-figure kill matches in 7 of last 10 ... has 11 double-figure kill, 7 double-figure dig matches with 7 double-doubles ... season-high 24 kills vs Nevada ... season-best 15 digs vs #19 Santa Clara, 5 total blocks vs George Mason, 3 assists vs Denver & 2 block solos vs Marshall ... season-high 4 aces vs SJSU ... has at least 1 block in 15 matches ... fourth on team in kills (233) & digs (159) ... Brion's Grille/Patriot Invite all-tourney.