Former Baler sets assist mark at Utah State
Chelsea Fowles certainly set the bar rather high for herself.
But then again, once you’ve been named the starting setter of a
Division I women’s volleyball program your freshmen season,
individual goals do have a tendency to skyrocket.
Still, being able to rack up enough assists over four years of
college volleyball at Utah State, enough to shatter a 19-year old
school record, is pretty lofty, nevertheless.
Former Baler sets assist mark at Utah State
Chelsea Fowles certainly set the bar rather high for herself. But then again, once you’ve been named the starting setter of a Division I women’s volleyball program your freshmen season, individual goals do have a tendency to skyrocket.
Still, being able to rack up enough assists over four years of college volleyball at Utah State, enough to shatter a 19-year old school record, is pretty lofty, nevertheless.
“I knew that if I’d be able to start all four years that I’d be able to accomplish something like that,” said Fowles, a 2007 graduate of San Benito High School. “I don’t know if it’s set in yet, but it was one of my bigger goals.”
Fowles, a senior setter at Utah State, has started all four years for the Aggies, and on Oct. 6 recorded her 3,943rd assist in a four-set win at Idaho, shattering the previous mark of 3,942 career assists set by Carrie Steverson from 1988-91.
“It was definitely a memorable night, that’s for sure,” Fowles said.
The 5-foot-10 setter said she owes it all to her parents, Curtis and Debbie, as well as the coaches and teammates that she’s had over the years. After all, a solid set means little if there’s no teammate there to kill it.
But something must be said for overall consistency and the individual talent it takes to play four years at the Division I level.
“I’d have to say, from the beginning, it’s been my parents. I wouldn’t be as good as I am if they hadn’t started me so young,” Fowles said. “But now I owe it to the coaching staff and the team. There has to be someone there who gets the kills, and I owe it to my hitters.
“The team has been really supportive.”
Fowles, who entered this season third all-time in assists for the Aggies with 3,281, currently has 4,030 career assists, which is 10th all-time in Western Athletic Conference history. And there’s still 10 matches remaining in the regular season, as well as the year-end WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, for Fowles to pad her assist mark.
“But you never know when someone will break it,” she said.
The former Baler certainly picked the right evening to set the new school mark, too. Not only did the record-breaking assist come during a Utah State (14-5, 2-4 WAC) victory, but the match was also televised nationally on ESPNU.
Fowles was even interviewed by ESPN’s Holly McPeak and Chris McGee following the match.
“So that was pretty cool,” she said. “I knew I had 40-something (assists) to go and it kind of has to be a longer match to get that many, so I wasn’t sure if I broke it.”
Fowles had 47 assists against Idaho that night.
After compiling more than 2,000 assists during her junior and senior seasons at San Benito High, Fowles was named the WAC Freshman of the Year in 2007 at Utah State, and was an all-WAC selection in 2008, as well as a preseason all-WAC selection in 2008 and 2009.
Furthermore, the 21-year-old Aggie has compiled 107 service aces in her four seasons, which is fifth all-time at Utah State.
But it’s the milestone set in Moscow that will provide Fowles with a lasting legacy at the Logan, Utah school.
“If it weren’t for my hitters,” Fowles said, “I wouldn’t have been able to do that.”
