PHOTO GALLERY

THE BASICS:

RESULT: Fresno State 3, Hartford 0
LOCATION: Hartford Volleyball Gym (West Hartford, Conn.)
RECORDS: Hartford (0-4), Fresno State (3-0)

THE LEAD:
Freshman Jordyn Kachmar had a career-high 16 digs, but Fresno State remained undefeated on the year with a 3-0 victory over the Hartford volleyball team on Sunday. A crowd of 651 was in attendance for the Hawks' home opener.
 
Aleisha Coates led all players with 12 kills and added 10 digs for the Bulldogs, while Maggie Eppright added 11 digs as well. Madelyn Halteman doled out 25 assists in the win.
 
Kachmar's play highlighted a strong defensive day for the Hawks, as three others – Megan Scherer, Astrid Mangual and Paulina Modestow – each had at least five digs as well. The Hawks put forth a season-high 10 team blocks, with Alyse Wenzel and Mangual each recording four. Katy Henchy led Hartford with eight kills in the loss.


 
SET-BY-SET
• Fresno got off to a strong start in the first, opening up a 17-9 lead after consecutive kills by Haile Watson, but Hartford rallied back with strong play on the block. Three blocks in four points – two from Alyse Wenzel and two by Katy Henchy – trimmed the deficit to 22-18 and forced a Fresno State timeout. But the Bulldogs rallied and took the first 25-18 for a 1-0 lead in the match.
• The second set was back-and-forth in the early going, with Hartford putting up a strong battle every point as an Olivia Rougeau kill trimmed it to 13-12. Fresno was able to pull back away at 19-14, but the Hawks rallied, and another Rougeau kill cut the deficit to 21-19. The Bulldogs got back in the driver's seat, though, rolling off four straight points to finish the set, 25-19.
• In the third, the Hawks again went blow-for-blow with the Bulldogs early, with a Wenzel kill cutting it to 6-5. After Fresno was able to pull ahead 13-8, Hartford slowly chipped away, cutting it to 21-19 late in the stanza following a Henchy kill. But once more, the Bulldogs had an answer, finishing off the set with a 25-20 triumph.
 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks will play host to the Hartford Invitational over the weekend, with Rhode Island, Central Connecticut and Manhattan visiting West Hartford on Friday, Sept. 2, and Saturday, Sept. 3. Admission will be free for all matches of the event. Full details are available at HartfordHawks.com.