Fresno State won the 2013 national Collegiate Club Volleyball Championship in straights sets on April 6 over UC Santa Barbara.
The fete marks the third national title for the club sport coached by volunteers Brian Tsukimura, a Fresno State Biology professor, and Dr. Mark Lowe, a Fresno orthodontist. The previous titles were in 2009 and 2004.
Fresno State (29-6) finished 9-1 in this championship tournament and swept all four of its opponents Saturday, eliminating Cal, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and Santa Barbara. The tournament started with a field of 168 teams, then dwindled to 16 in the Division I Gold Division entering Saturday. Fresno State was seeded fifth during the Round of 16.
Fresno State students on the team are Jordan Burriss, Chris Hughes, Hunter Knight, Jacob Salem and Tony Xiong of Fresno, Jordan Darchuck, Taylor Dildine and Justine Williams of Clovis; and Niccolo Boggio of Italy. Read more in The Fresno Bee.
The volleyball team’s wins brings Fresno State’s national title count to seven: Two in NCAA-sponsored sports – softball (1998) and baseball (2008) – and four in club sports – men’s volleyball (2013, 2009, 2004), men’s bowling (2011) and women’s water polo (2007).
