RENO, Nev. – Nevada volleyball dropped a five-set heartbreaker to the Fresno State Bulldogs 3-2 Tuesday evening at Virginia Street Gym, moving to 4-10 overall, 0-3 in conference play.
 
Kia Kaohelaulii recorded a career high of eight assists during the match. Koen Makaula made her third career appearance, coming off the bench recording her first kill, two block assists, and two digs. Sia Liilii registered a reception percentage of .967 with 12 kills and 14 digs while Kaohelaulii registered a reception percentage of .964 with 19 digs and eight assists. Gabby McLaughlin tallied 17 kills, 14 digs, and two service aces. Jaclyn Sanchez and Tehya Maeva each recorded 20 and 21 assists respectively.
 
Fresno State came to Reno coming off their first conference win against New Mexico 3-1 under head coach Leisa Rosen, who is in her first season with the Bulldogs. Fresno State lead the all-time series against Nevada 32-29, their last matchup during the 2022 season dominated by a 3-1 Wolf Pack win.
 
The Wolf Pack started out on top early in the first set, going up 9-5 over the Bulldogs with two kills each from Liilii and McLaughlin along with McLaughlin's first service ace of the match. Nevada continued to dominate, going up 13-9 over Fresno State before the Bulldogs came within two after a kill from Addison Haluska and two attack errors by the Pack. At the media timeout, the Pack remained in the lead after a second kill from McLaughlin put Nevada up by three 15-12. The Wolf Pack forced the Bulldogs to call timeout after back-to-back kills from Maeva and McLaughlin gave Nevada a five-point lead. Fresno State came within three to shorten the Pack's lead after an attack error by Liilii followed by a kill from Fresno State's Jenna Legault. After a monster kill from Schwartz and an attack error made by Fresno State, the Pack took the first set 25-21 to go up 1-0 on the match.
 
Clarke and Schwartz teamed up for a block to give the Pack the 1-0 lead to kick off set two. Fresno State and Nevada started a back-and-forth rally before two kills in a row by the Pack's McLaughlin and Snyder gave Nevada a three-point lead 9-6. The Bulldogs tied it all up at 12-12 a piece after a kill from Haluska and a ball handling error was called on Nevada's Maeva. Fresno State jumped up 17-14 over the Wolf Pack after two attack errors called on Nevada and two kills from Fresno State's Maja Malczewska and Legault. The Bulldogs forced Nevada to call their first timeout of the set after another kill by Fresno State's Kasey Purry and a service ace by Brooke Cowie put the Bulldogs up by four. The Pack went on a 3-0 run to shorten Fresno State's lead before the Bulldogs reached match point 24-22, ultimately taking the second set 25-22.
 
Back-to-back kills from Nevada's Clarke helped the Pack go up 3-1 in the third set over the Bulldogs to start things off. The Pack continued to dominate with McLaughlin's second service ace followed by Liilii's fourth kill of the evening to put Nevada up 8-5. Two errors by Fresno State allowed the Pack to regain a three-point lead going into the media timeout. After the timeout, the Bulldogs answered back, tying things up at 15-15 a piece from back-to-back kills from Legault. After Fresno State's Cowie recorded her second service ace of the evening, the Bulldogs went up 18-16 over the Pack. Fresno State went on a 4-0 run to reach set point at 24-20 before Nevada forced the Bulldogs to call timeout after a McLaughlin kill and a block by Clarke and Makaula brought the Pack within three to keep the set alive. The Bulldogs would come away with set three 25-21 after a ball handling error was called on Nevada, going up on the match 2-1.
 
A 4-0 run to start the fourth set for the Bulldogs put Nevada down 6-4 before the Pack went up 8-6 after Clarke recorded back-to-back service aces. Nevada put up a four-point lead 12-8 with two kills from Liilii and one kill recorded by McLaughlin, forcing Fresno State to call their first timeout of the set. Nevada held on to their four-point lead, going up 18-14 over the Bulldogs after McLaughlin recorded her 15^th kill of the evening along with Kaohelaulii's first service ace of the match. It was all Nevada as they secured the fourth set 25-20 after a 3-2 run over the Bulldogs after a service error by Fresno State's Sydney Gazzaniga, tying the match at 2-2 headed into the fifth and final set.
 
Nevada continued their momentum to start off the fifth and final set as Maeva registered her first service ace of the match, putting the Pack up 1-0. The Bulldogs went on a 3-0 scoring run to take the lead 5-2. At the halfway point, Nevada tied everything up at 7-7 before a bad set by the Pack gave the Bulldogs the one-point advantage. The Bulldogs reached set point in result of an attack error by Nevada, giving Fresno State the 14-10 lead, forcing the Pack to call their final timeout. Ultimately, the Bulldogs would take the set 15-10 after an attack error called on Nevada gave Fresno State their final point to win the match 3-2.
 
Up Next:
Nevada will end their five-game home slate as they travel to San Jose State Thursday to take on the Spartans at 6 p.m., followed by two more matches on the road at Utah State (Thursday, Oct. 5) and at Boise State (Saturday, Oct. 7). The Pack will return to Virginia Street Gym Thursday, October 12 against UNLV at 6 p.m. All fans are encouraged to wear blue. Tickets start at just $7, which can be purchased when doors open or at www.mynevadatickets.com