Women's volleyball team winds up conference play this weekend

By Jodie Auger

November 17, 2004 | Utah State's women's volleyball team, coached by Burt Fuller, is in a season with hopes to make some noise in the Big West Conference Tournament this year.

Utah State (9-15, 5-11) will finish its conference schedule with a pair of matches at Pacific (15-9, 11-5) on Nov. 18 and at Cal State Northridge (14-10, 9-7) on Nov. 20.

In his fourth season as head coach of the Utah State volleyball team, Fuller is in hopes that his team can build on last year's 18-12 record and continue its progression in the Big West Conference. During his first three years at USU, Fuller has led the Aggies to a 52-39 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. He has also coached six all-league players and one All-American to go along with 15 academic all-conference selections.

Prior to accepting the head coaching job at Utah State, Fuller spent a number of years coaching other volleyball teams. Fuller spent seven seasons as an assistant coach for the UCLA women's volleyball team. In his seven years at UCLA, the Bruins went to the NCAA Tournament six times, including a national runner-up finish in 1994.

Fuller also served as the women's head coach at Los Angeles Pierce Junior College for two years and as an assistant with the men's program for five years, capturing the men's title in 1992. In addition, he was an assistant women's coach at Fresno State University in 1989 and assisted at Chico State in 1985.

Fuller has long been recognized as a sound technical teacher and trainer of fundamentals. He credits his time spent with various teams at different levels to learning the importance of the "little things" in volleyball that lead to success.

After 14 years of competition in the Big West Conference, Utah State will be playing its final season in the league before moving to the Western Athletic Conference in 2005.

Utah State returns four starters and seven letterwinners from last year's team that went 18-12 overall and finished in a tie for fifth-place in the Big West with a 10-8 record. Among the players returning for USU is junior first-team all-Big West performer Zuzana Cernianska, along with Beth Hodge and Mari Ruddick, who were both named to the league's all-freshman team during the 2003 season.

"The most encouraging thing about this group is our age and it is also one of the most unnerving things as well," Fuller said.

USU has only one senior on its roster, a transfer, and five other newcomers to mesh with four sophomores and three juniors.

"I think we have the pieces to be a pretty good team, but I don't know exactly when everything is going to come around with this group. We're a little undersized in some spots, but I also think we're real good at the pins, our setting is good, and our passing is solid," said Fuller.

School spirit is a great asset to USU as a whole. Athletics are supported by students, parents and residents of the city of Logan. With the backing of their fans, the volleyball team plays more to their liking with support from the fans cheering them on in the spectrum.

"The women's volleyball team has great support from their fans at the games," said USU student Hailey Funk. "My favorite part is when the crowd yells 'point Aggies' when we score."

USU's team was picked to finish seventh in the Big West according to the conference's coaches, as the Aggies received 44 votes. Defending champs UC Santa Barbara is predicted to win the Tournament.

"Given the fact that we have a lot of young players in our program, being picked seventh was probably an accurate preseason ranking," said Fuller.

"Coach Fuller has helped me improve in so many different ways and he is a great coach," said Zuzana Cernianski, side hitter. "Hopefully we can make it far in the tournament this year. Our team has become very close and we play well together."

USU's volleyball schedule and information is available to anyone who would like to attend the games.

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