FRESNO, Calif. — In one of the most anticipated games of the week, No. 4 Fresno Pacific defeated No. 9 CSUSB in five (25-17, 25-21, 24-26, 15-25, 15-11) on Friday night. After dropping the third and fourth set, the Sunbirds moved from a 7-5 deficit to a 10-8 lead in the fifth set before finishing the match.
"That was a gritty win and exactly what you expect when two top-10 teams go at it," said head coach
Kelsee Montagna. "We came in with a game plan and executed it really well through the first two sets, but San Bernardino is #9 in the country for a reason. They adjusted, put us under pressure, and then it became our job to respond and adjust right back. I loved that we didn't panic when the match shifted. We dropped the third and fourth, got down 7-5 in the fifth, and still trusted each other and found a way to take the momentum back."
In the opener, the Sunbirds broke from a 2-2 tie with three straight points, getting a Rylee Pitney kill, a Mikayla Weiss and Pitney block and a Makayla Smith kill to move ahead 5-2. The Sunbirds continued to side out consistently, with Itzel Aguayo, Addisen Hamilton and Pitney helping keep CSUSB from closing the gap. Weiss finished the set with a kill as the Sunbirds took it 25-17. The Sunbirds trailed 18-14 in the second set before a 9-0 run, with Feramisco serving eight straight points as the Sunbirds moved ahead 23-18. The stretch included kills from Hamilton and Smith, blocks involving Aguayo and Hamilton, and a Feramisco ace. The 'Birds closed the set 25-21 on a Pitney kill from Weiss.
In the third set, the Sunbirds answered a 12-10 deficit with a 7-1 run, getting a Feramisco ace, kills from Smith and Pitney and a block by Pitney and Hamilton to move ahead 17-13. The Sunbirds later went in front 24-23 on Devyn Castaneda's kill from Pitney, but CSUSB scored the final three points to take the set 26-24. In the fourth set, the Sunbirds were within 15-11 after Smith followed a kill with a service ace, but CSUSB scored the next four points to push the set to 19-11. Morgan Castaneda added three late kills as the Sunbirds tried to answer, but CSUSB closed the fourth set 25-15.
In the fifth set, the Sunbirds answered a 7-5 deficit by moving in front 10-8, with Morgan Castaneda's kill and three CSUSB attack errors helping swing the set. After CSUSB tied it at 10-10, Aguayo put the Sunbirds back ahead with a kill from Weiss, and Pitney added three late kills. Hamilton also scored at 14-11 before Pitney finished the 15-11 set win.
Smith had a breakout night and finished with 16 kills, 14 digs, and two service aces. Libero Castaneda recorded a season-high 42 digs and added six assists. Weiss distributed 46 assists and collected 13 digs, adding five kills and two blocks. Pitney posted 14 kills with six total blocks overall.
"I was especially proud of our blocking tonight," Montagna added. We've been really hard on our blockers about being disciplined, tracking hitters, and executing what we're seeing, and they answered that challenge. Behind them, Devyn was unbelievable. Forty-two digs in a match like this is an outstanding performance and gave us so many opportunities to stay in rallies and transition back into our offense.
"When you have #4 versus #9, you know it's going to be a fight. It's not always going to be clean, and both teams are going to make adjustments. What matters is how you respond when the match gets uncomfortable. Tonight we showed a lot of grit, trusted the changes we made, and found a way to finish."
UP NEXT: The Birds return to the SEC Saturday afternoon for a clash with Cal State San Marcos at 2pm for #ENDALZ Day, benefiting the Alzheimer's Association of Fresno.
SUNBIRD SOCIAL
- X - @fpusunbirds
- Instagram - @fpusunbirds
- Facebook - @FPUsunbirds
#TeamFPU
