FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno Pacific volleyball continued its strong start to the season Friday night, sweeping Western Oregon University 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-19) at the Special Events Center. The Sunbirds controlled the match from the net, hitting .276 as a team while racking up nine total blocks to secure their second sweep of the weekend.
"I loved the fight we showed tonight," said Head Coach
Kelsee Montagna. "Down 4–12 in the third, nobody flinched. There was no panic, no feeling sorry for ourselves. We just went to work."
The 'Birds came out swinging in the opening set, building an early advantage behind a series of strong attacks.
Madelyn Feramisco and
Mikayla Weiss helped spark the offense with key kills as FPU began to pull away. After taking an 18-14 lead, Weiss and
Rylee Pitney teamed up for a massive double block on the outside, forcing a Western Oregon timeout.
Devyn Castaneda and
Itzel Aguayo then teamed up at the net to push the Sunbirds to set point before a Wolves' serve sailed out of bounds, giving FPU the first set, 25-20.
The Blue and Orange carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead after a pair of Western Oregon attack errors. The Sunbirds' block continued to make its presence felt, with Weiss and Pitney teaming up again before Aguayo joined the party with a block of her own, to give FPU a 10-5 advantage.
Western Oregon battled back and eventually tied the set at 17-17, but the Sunbirds had an answer.
Addisen Hamilton ripped a powerful swing through the block to halt the Wolves' run, while
Morgan Castaneda followed with a clutch service ace to extend the lead to 21-18. Feramisco then delivered a perfectly placed shot down the line to put the 'Birds at set point, with Hamilton finishing the job with a kill to give FPU a 2-0 match lead.
The third set provided the biggest test of the night as WOU built a mid-set advantage, but the Sunbirds responded with an unbelievable run. With the score tied at 16-16, FPU rattled off six straight points, turning the momentum in its favor and taking a 22-19 lead. The block once again proved to be the difference-maker as Aguayo and Hamilton teamed up for three consecutive blocks to shut down the Wolves at the net. In the final stretch,
Rachel Plantinga added back-to-back service aces to keep the pressure on, and
Makayla Smith put the finishing touch on the sweep with a perfectly placed roll shot over the block.
"We got aggressive, started making plays, and completely took the momentum back. To finish that comeback and close the match in three says a lot about the toughness and resilience of this group. That's the kind of fight we want to be known for."
Overall, Feramisco led the charge with her first double-double of the season. The reigning PacWest Freshman of the Year tallied 13 kills and 10 digs against Western Oregon. Weiss contributed 28 assists with four kills in total. Returning libero
Devyn Castaneda kept the momentum going with 15 digs and five assists.
With the victory, the Sunbirds improved to 2-0 on the season and secured their second sweep of the weekend, continuing to build momentum for the remainder of the Sunbird Classic. The Blue and Orange wrap up the weekend with the 6pm matchup against Hawaii Hilo.
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