Box Score
SAN DIEGO - Fresno Pacific improved to 20-0, 11-0 in conference play, defeating Point Loma Nazarene 25-16, 25-19, 25-20 on Friday night. Martina Gregusova and Keke Wang had 14 kills apiece for the Sunbirds, while Erica Adachi and Emily Carroll had 19 and 15 assists respectively.
Mariah Mandelbaum frustrated the Sea Lion attack all night, finishing with 17 digs. Michelle Johnson added 14 in the win. Mandelbaum was quick to give credit to the FPU blockers for the Sunbirds' 52 digs on the night.
“Point Loma's a good team, with a lot of weapons,” said Mandelbaum. “Our blockers really stepped up though to take pressure off the defense.” Kathleen Anderson finished with four blocks to lead FPU.
After an early lead, FPU went behind 9-8 in set one after a kill by PLNU's Tabitha Henken. Gregusova and Wang brought the Sunbirds back even at 10 and the Sunbirds would go up 15-14 minutes later.
Anderson was single-handedly responsible for the next point, blocking a Sea Lion player twice in a row with the second being credited as a kill. That was the start of a 5-0 FPU run as the Sunbirds began to dig every PLNU attack.
The team would put away the first set with a one-handed fake-set that went for a kill by Adachi and a kill by Wang for the 25-16 win.
Set two featured much of the night's excitement as the teams traded leads throughout the set. The Sunbirds would fall behind 8-6 and PLNU would extend that lead to 12-8, but Gregusova kept FPU in it with one devastating kill after another.
The Sunbirds went on a 4-0 run that included a kill and service ace from Gregusova, and back-to-back blocks by Anderson and Johnson. A block by Anderson and Wang gave the Sunbirds back the lead at 13-12.
The teams would trade points until a string of Sea Lion errors put FPU up 17-14. Two Karah Mitchell kills would extend that lead and the Sunbirds would use that run to take home set two. Anderson and Wang provided the final kills of the 25-19 win.
The Sea Lions would put up quite a fight in set three, trying to prolong the match. PLNU went ahead 10-7, but two Gregusova kills made it 10-9 and another would cut the lead to 11-10. Anderson would then tie the set with a kill straight down the middle.
PLNU would not go away though and matched the Sunbirds point for point. With the score 18-all, Gregusova and Wang put together back-to-back kills for a 20-18 lead. A long rally ensued on the next point before a perfect pass by Adachi set up Wang for another kill.
PLNU would call timeout and get a point on the next possession, but Wang delivered another kill to make it 22-19. After a kill by Henken, the Sunbirds would put the match away for good with a powerful kill by Johnson, a service ace by Carroll and a PLNU error to win 25-20.
The Sunbirds remain in the San Diego area tomorrow for a 3 pm match with San Diego Christian. FPU swept the Hawks in the first meeting between the teams last month.
