Box Score

Martina Gregusova and Keke Wang combined for 38 kills as #3 Fresno Pacific won on the road at #8 Azusa Pacific 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 27-25). The win clinches at least a tie of the conference title, as the Sunbirds lead Biola and Cal Baptist by three games with three to play.

"I'm real pleased with our block and defense, they came up big at crucial times and made a mjor difference," said coach Dennis Janzen. "APU is a difficult team to defend and our kids did a nice job of making adjustments."

FPU (26-1, 17-0 GSAC) cruised past the Cougars (24-6, 11-6 GSAC) in set one, before winning two very competitive games in sets two and three.

The Cougars appeared on their way to extending the match, leading 20-16 in set three, before the Sunbirds went on a 5-0 run with Michelle Johnson serving to regain the lead. The teams would trade points until the Sunbirds had a chance to win it up 25-24 after a Wang kill.

A service error kept APU's hopes alive, but another kill by Wang followed by a block from Johnson and Lisa Shilling sealed the Cougars' fate.

Gregusova had 20 kills on .514 hitting with just two attack errors in 35 attempts. Wang recorded an even better .552 percentage with 18 kills and just two errors as well. Shilling added seven kills and four blocks, while Erica Adachi had 24 assists and eight digs.

The Sunbirds had 50 digs as a team, led by Mariah Mandelbaum's match-high 21, as FPU held the Cougars to a .227 attack percentage. The Sunbirds hit .368 as a team.

FPU now gears up for what will likely be the NAIA match of the week, as #5 Cal Baptist (27-4, 14-3 GSAC) travels to Fresno for a 3 pm Saturday match between the conference's top two teams. The Lancers were able to take a set from the Sunbirds when the two met in Riverside, but FPU took the final two sets for a 3-1 win.