Sept. 16, 2006

Box Score

FRESNO, Calif. - A service ace from senior libero Cheryl Selenak and a final kill by junior outside hitter Angela Wiggins lifted Fresno State to a 17-15 win in the Game 5 of a marathon match with UC Davis, spoiling a valiant Aggie comeback effort. The final scores of the match were 30-28, 33-31, 15-30, 28-30 and 17-15 in favor of the Bulldogs.

UC Davis drops to 1-9 for the season, having lost seven straight. The Aggies last win was a three-game sweep of Montana at the Cal Molten Classic tournament in late August. FSU improves to 2-9, snapping a seven-match losing skid.

Highlighting Aggie action was freshman libero Avreeta Singh, who shattered a school record with 42 digs for the match. The previous mark of 36 was held jointly by Nichole Brown and Mary McClelland, set in the season finales of each of the two previous years. Senior outside hitter Nicole Read also enjoyed a solid match, posting 21 kills and 20 digs. Freshman Britt Erickson and sophomore Chantal Paschetta also recorded double-doubles. Erickson had 16 kills with a season-high 27 digs, while Paschetta compiled 18 kills and 18 digs overall.

Like UC Davis, Fresno State saw freshmen players put up its strongest numbers. Outside hitter Lacey Gera finished with a match-high 24 kills and hit .380, while Cori Hayes added 14 kills on 43 swings to lead the Bulldogs on offense. Selenak and senior outside hitter Alison Pitton patrolled the FSU floor defense with 32 and 30 digs, respectively.

The Bulldogs trailed by a 19-13 deficit in the first game, and faced game-point scores of 29-28 and 31-30 in the second, but managed to claim victories in both to take a two-game lead. UC Davis dominated the third game by jumping out to an 11-4 start, then later enjoying a 6-0 run to pull ahead to 25-10. The Aggies posted 16 kills against just two errors, while holding FSU to .074 hitting in Game 3.

Kills by Erickson and Read propelled UC Davis to a 26-20 lead late in Game 4, and another Erickson point put the Aggies up by a 28-22 advantage. However, Fresno State battled its guests to a 29-28 edge behind the serving of Tiffany Hess. Read then knocked the down the game-winner for UC Davis, forcing the fifth frame.

After Erickson's ace crafted a 6-3 lead for the Aggies in Game 5, the Bulldogs scored three straight to tie the game at 6-6. No team led by more than a single point until Wiggins final kill closed the battle at 17-15. The decisive fifth game featured 13 ties and 13 lead changes, but the Bulldogs' .429 hitting average provided the offensive lift for the victory.

UC Davis begins play against its future conferencemates in the Big West, traveling to Cal Poly on Tuesday followed by UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday.

UC DAVIS (kills-aces-blocks) - Michelle Nelson 0-1-0, Katelyn Astruc 6-2-4, Jenny Kennedy 0-0-0, Kelly Patterson 4-0-4, Britt Erickson 16-2-2, Avreeta Singh 0-1-0, Chantal Paschetta 18-0-2, Carson Lowden 0-2-0, Katie Wilson 2-0-0, Rachel Keener 13-1-4, Nicole Read 21-1-1. Totals 80-10-9.0. Assists - Katelyn Astruc 64. Digs leaders - Avreeta Singh 42, Britt Erickson 27, Nicole Read 20.

FSU (kills-aces-blocks) - Jamie Temperino 0-0-0, Tiffany Hess 0-1-0, Karlie Houston 11-2-0, Kelly Leonardo 3-0-1, Alisha McKee 0-0-0, Alison Pitton 15-2-2, Lacey Gera 24-0-0, Cheryl Selenak 0-1-0, Lisa Gera 1-1-0, Angela Wiggins 5-0-0, Cori Hayes 14-0-1, Lexi Watson 4-0-3, Hollee Hellwig 0-0-0, Cassie Gifford 0-0-0. Totals 77-7-4.0. Assists - Lisa Gera 38, Tiffany Hess 27. Digs leaders - Cheryl Selenak 32, Allison Pitton 30.

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