Martina Gregusova is getting closer and closer to full strength, notching a season-high 14 kills on Saturday.

Women's Volleyball 9/17/2011 12:00:00 AM

Sunbirds knock off #5 Sea Lions for fifth straight win

Fresno Pacific def. #5 Point Loma Nazarene 3-2 (27-25, 17-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-11)
Box Score

San Diego, Calif. - Playing as an unranked team against a ranked opponent for the first time since 1994, Fresno Pacific had no problem embracing the underdog role on Saturday by handing #5 Point Loma Nazarene its first loss of the season in five sets.

The Sunbirds (5-3, 2-0 GSAC), who fell out of the NAIA's Top 25 by just one point earlier this week, showed on Saturday that, though they've admittedly experienced a slow start, taking them out of the rankings entirely was a bit premature.

It was the fifth straight victory for the Sunbirds who showed tremendous composure after taking the first set, falling behind 2-1, then battling back to win the final two sets over the Sea Lions (9-1, 1-1 GSAC).

"It was definitely an all-out team effort," said Sunbird coach Kelly Winter. "Everybody played well. We had a really good gameplan going in and the team executed very well."

Jessie Alcorn had 19 kills and 13 digs to help pace the Sunbirds. Kathleen Anderson had a huge day, finishing with 14 kills, 16 digs and nine blocks.

Martina Gregusova also had 14 kills, a season-high for the senior who's beginning to show signs that the effects of off-season shoulder surgery are wearning off. She also had 12 digs and five blocks.

"She played really smart," said Winter. "She's still not swinging to her full capabilities but she had a good night and was very smart placing the ball."

Emily Carroll facilitated the offense with 36 assists. Erica Adachi added 11 and had 13 digs. The Sunbirds would finish with 13 total blocks as a team.

The match was a back-and-forth battle all afternoon. From the first set it was clear that neither team was going to back down and that first set featured multiple lead changes and ties down the stretch. Eventually Anderson would deliver two consecutive kills to win it 27-25.

The Sea Lions jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead in the second set and would limit the Sunbirds to a zero attack percentage as they went on to win 25-17. FPU led for much of the third set before the Sea Lions pulled away, breaking a 17-all tie to close out the set on an 8-3 run.

With their backs against the wall in a tough road environment, the young team showed its poise. With Kailey Allen and Adachi serving, the team built up a 17-10 lead in the fourth set. That would prove to be too much for the Sea Lions as Gregusova drove the set home with three kills in the final six points.

The decisive fifth set was controlled by the Sunbirds early on, as FPU jumped ahead 7-3 before a PLNU timeout. The Sea Lions battled back to bring the score to 9-8 but Alcorn and Anderson delivered back-to-back kills to make it 11-8.

A Sea Lion block would cut the deficit to 12-11 before Anderson put the Sunbirds up by two with a kill on an assist from Carroll. The Sunbird blocking approach, which had given the Sea Lions fits all day, would come through in the clutch with the final two points as Anderson teamed with Gregusova, then Carroll, to win it.

PLNU star senior Tabitha Henken finished with a match-high 22 kills, but was blocked on the final play by Anderson. Aimee Bird had 51 assists for the Sea Lions and Nicole Eiler added 29 digs in the loss.

FPU comes home this week for its long-awaited home opener. They'll face the conference's top-ranked team, #3 Azusa Pacific, on Tuesday night at 7 pm.

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