Nov. 3, 2009

Weekly Release

FRESNO, Calif. - After an impressive showing against No. 3 Hawai'i last week in Fresno, the 'Dogs look to upset the Rainbow Wahine on Friday as they travel to the Stan Sheriff Center for a 9 p.m. PST match in Honolulu. Live stats and audio can be found at www.hawaiiathletics.com.

The 'Dogs are 12-11 on the year moving back above .500 with last Saturday's win over San Jose State and remain in fourth place in the WAC standings with three weeks left in conference play. Fresno State is three wins shy of tying the most wins since 2004 (15). The 'Dogs are also just one WAC win away from tying the 2004 teams six wins.

Scouting No. 3 Hawai'i
The Rainbow Wahine have continued to roll since they left Fresno last Thursday as they swept Nevada in Reno on Saturday and San Jose State at Spartan Gym on Monday. At San Jose State, Amber Kaufman led the way for Hawai'i with 11 kills on 13 attempts and no errors for a .846 clip. Kanani Danielson added15 kills and just one error while hitting .519. Hawai'i is ranked in the top 20 in the NCAA in hitting percentage (3rd, .310), W-L percentage (7th, .909), aces per set (14th, 1.80) and assists per set (18th, 13.26). Hawai'i has never lost to Fresno State but the Bulldogs have won one set off of the Rainbow Wahine in each of the last three years. The 'Dogs have played very well at the Stan Sheriff Center the last two years, as they took the first set in the match in 2008 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

'Dogs Continue to Play Well at Home
The Bulldogs continue to roll at home with an impressive 6-2 record on the season at the Save Mart Center and a 4-1 WAC record at home. Fresno State's 3-1 victory over Utah State on Oct. 8 was the first time since 1991 that the 'Dogs had defeated the Aggies in less than five sets. Fresno State's 3-2 win over Idaho on Oct. 10 was the just the second win for the Bulldogs over the Vandals ever and the first since 1987. The 'Dogs 3-2 win over Boise State on Oct. 17 was the first time since 2003 that Fresno State has swept the season series against the Broncos. Fresno State took No. 3 Hawai'i to four sets for the third-straight year and held the Rainbow Wahine to a .059 hitting percentage in set two, their lowest in a single-set in the WAC this season and third lowest of the year. On Halloween, the 'Dogs defeated San Jose State for the first time since 2005, and defeated them in less than five sets with a 3-1 victory for the first time since 2004.

"We Are Your Team" - Fresno State heads to Hawai'i on Friday, Nov. 6 at 9 p.m.