Box Score
Fresno Pacific was tested at home for the first time this season but prevailed in a 3-0 sweep (27-25, 25-23, 25-22) of Hawaii Hilo for its 13th straight win.

The NCAA Division II #19 Sunbirds faced a tough Vulcan team that played strong defense all night and kept FPU on its toes. What resulted was a number of long rallies with the Sunbirds rising to the occasion in each of the three exciting sets.

"Our setters and hitters were doing a great job, but they kept digging everything," said head coach Kelly Winter. "They brought everything back which was a great testament to how good of a defensive team they are. It kind of crept into the heads of our players and allowed them to get frustrated that, what normally goes down as a great kill just wasn't going down. The girls were able to maintain composure though and play harder and smarter. We mixed up our offense and they did a great job of staying composed and fighting back when we were down."

The Sunbirds (14-1, 6-0 PacWest) were challenged right away in set one as the Vulcans erased a 15-12 FPU lead with a 5-0 run that made it 17-15. FPU trailed 23-20 at one point before two brilliant sets by Emily Carroll found Kathleen Anderson for back-to-back kills.

Rupia Inck followed with a well-placed cross-court kill to tie it up. Inck would follow with a service error though, bringing UHH to set-point but the Vulcans would follow with a service error of their own. Inck and Morghan Williams teamed up on a block to give the Sunbirds the 25-24 lead before UHH tied it up again. Inck then followed with another well-placed kill along the line before a Vulcan attack error ended the set.

Set two brought more excitement, featuring many long rallies and athletic plays from both sides. UHH led 22-20 but three Karah Mitchell kills down the stretch put FPU ahead. Erica Adachi and Anderson would team up on a block to give the Sunbirds the set win.

In set three the Sunbirds went on a 10-2 run to take a 15-11 lead after they'd fallen behind 9-5. UHH followed with a 10-3 run to go up 21-18. Kills by Mitchell, Williams and Anderson helped FPU inch closer before an Anderson-Adachi block tied it. Mitchell gave the Sunbirds the lead on the next play with an athletic kill at the net and Anderson smacked a loose ball down on the Vulcan side to make it 24-22. Carroll followed with an impressive game-winning service ace.

"This was a great match for us because it taught us a lot of things," said Winter. "We know we can't underestimate anyone in this league and we  always have to play smart. Harder isn't always necessarily the answer but smarter is. Being in these tight situations is exactly what we need moving forward."

Anderson led the way with 13 kills on .321 hitting and also added five blocks. Williams ended the match with a .750 attack percentage on six kills. Inck had 12 kills and 13 digs, while Mitchell finished with 10 kills and eight digs. Carroll's 21 assists led the way with Adachi adding 18. Hannah Butler led all players with 16 digs.

Bria Morgan had a big game for the Vulcans, finishing with a match-high 20 kills. She had 63 attempts on the night as UHH ran its offense almost entirely through her. No other player had more than five kills.

FPU's next match is its annual alumni game on Saturday at 1 pm. Last season, the alumni defeated the Sunbirds in a five-set thriller.

"It's a lot of fun," said Winter. "You get to see some of the All-Americans on the other side and see what made Fresno Pacific great and who made Fresno Pacific great. It's good for our youngsters to see what it means to play wise and smart and at a really high level. We're going to have to play well on Saturday. They're going to have a good team; they always do."