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FPU 3, San Francisco State 2

After breezing past Holy Names in the morning, Fresno Pacific faced a much tougher San Francisco State team. The Sunbirds appeared to be in control for much of the match but SFSU would push them to the limit before FPU pulled out the 3-2 win (25-18, 22-25, 25-16, 15-25, 15-11).

"It was good to be tested and be able to maintain our composure," said head coach Kelly Winter. "This was one of those matches that reminded us to keep fighting even when things aren't looking good."

Jessie Alcorn turned in another fine hitting performance, totaling 11 kills and just one error on .370 hitting. Rupia Inck came up big in crucial moments, finishing with 17 kills and 21 digs.

The Sunbirds took control in set one with a 25-18 win behind nine blocks while holding SFSU to a .021 attack percentage. The Gators would fight back in set two as the teams traded 5-0 runs before the Sunbirds built up a 21-18 lead. SFSU would end the set on a 7-1 run to tie the match.

The momentum continued for the Gators as they jumped out to a 5-1 lead in set three but the Sunbirds regrouped and took over from that point. After getting within two points at 10-8, FPU ran off an 11-1 run and went on to take the set 25-16 while holding SFSU to a negative hitting percentage.

In the fourth set after a couple of questionable calls, frustration set in for the Sunbirds and the Gators took advantage with a quick set win of 25-15. FPU put it behind them and came out ready to impress in set five however.

"We just had to shake off the last set and play our game," said Winter. "We felt like we had control of the match. We just needed to do a better job of taking care of the ball. The girls did a good job of maintaining focus and eliminating negative energy."

Karah Mitchell, who up until that point had struggled, delivered two critical kills as the fifth set started and Kathleen Anderson added another to give FPU a 4-1 lead. The Sunbirds wouldn't look back, maintaining the lead at 12-9 before a service ace by Mikayla Tucker and a kill by Erica Adachi brought the team within one point of sealing the match.

Adachi and Morghan Williams would team up on a block to secure the win. The defense helped shore things up for the Sunbirds all night as FPU totaled 92 digs and 15.5 team blocks on the evening.

Hannah Butler's 25 digs led the way. Anderson had a match-high eight blocks. Adachi finished with 19 digs and 23 assists. Emily Carroll also posted a double-double with 17 assists and 13 digs.

The Sunbirds face Northwest Nazarene at 9 am tomorrow before taking on Humboldt State at 4:30. NNU swept HSU 3-0 today and comes in with a 4-2 record after taking California Baptist to five sets in a 3-2 loss.

FPU 3, Holy Names 0

Fresno Pacific unleashed its offense on Holy Names Friday morning, sweeping the Hawks 25-19, 25-22 and 25-14 in the first match of the Route 92 Showdown hosted by Cal State East Bay.

The Sunbirds (4-1) hit a season-best .347 while holding the Hawks (1-4) to an .099 attack percentage. Kathleen Anderson had 11 kills, five blocks and just one error on .667 hitting while Jessie Alcorn led the team with 12 kills and hit .417.

"Jessie really got it going offensively," said head coach Kelly Winter. "We've been kind of waiting for her to have a breakout match. She's been playing great defensively but we haven't been in system enough to really get her going."

Emily Carroll led the team with 27 assists, while Erica Adachi added 23 to go with eight kills. Hannah Butler posted a match-high 16 digs and Rupia Inck put together a double-double of 11 digs and 10 kills.

The lone blemish on the day was 12 service errors by the Sunbirds.

"We kind of shot ourselves in the foot by missing on way too many serves, but otherwise we were really consistent on offense," said Winter.