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Fresno Pacific 3, Humboldt State 0 - Box Score

The Sunbirds completed an undefeated weekend at the Route 92 Showdown by sweeping Humboldt State 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-19) and improving to 7-1 on the season. Kathleen Anderson and Rupia Inck were named to the all-tournament team.

FPU played its entire roster in the match, showcasing its depth and holding HSU to .070 hitting.

"We got some fresh legs on the court and they took care of business," said head coach Kelly Winter. "I'm very happy with our team's ability to stay focused all weekend. We definitely improved as a team on this trip."

Anderson led a balanced attack with nine kills on .368 hitting. Jessie Alcorn had 10 kills and Mikayla Tucker added eight. Hannah Butler continued her strong early season play with 27 digs.

"Kathleen put together another solid performance offensively," said Winter. "Hannah read the ball really well on defense and Jessie came through with some clutch swings."

The Sunbirds now turn their attention to their first ever PacWest road trip. They'll take on Dixie State on Thursday in Utah before facing #24 Grand Canyon in Phoenix on Saturday.


Fresno Pacific 3, Northwest Nazarene 0

Fresno Pacific showed extraordinary resiliency in the third match of the Route 92 Showdown, fighting back from huge deficits in the first and second sets before putting away Northwest Nazarene for a 3-0 win.

Karah Mitchell fueled the Sunbird comebacks, putting together one of the best performances of her young career and finishing with 15 kills to just one error while hitting .467.

"She was on fire," said head coach Kelly Winter. "We have so many great hitters on this team, it's someone new stepping up each match. If one player is struggling we know there are others who are going to step up so we're going to go with the hot hand."

The Sunbirds (6-1) trailed 10-3 and later 20-16 in set one before Mitchell and Kathleen Anderson sparked a 9-2 run to end the set. FPU then fell behind 17-11 in set two before Mitchell caught fire again, along with Rupia Inck.

NNU still had set point, up 24-23, but a service error tied it up before two kills by Inck would put the Sunbirds up 2-0.

FPU would trail 10-7 in the third set but with momentum now clearly in the Sunbirds' favor they would put the Crusaders away with an all-around team effort. The Sunbirds hit .343 in the set and put NNU away 25-19.

"We were consistent in our hitting," said Winter. "Kathleen played really well. She's been someone we know we can count on every match. Hannah [Butler] and Emily [Carroll] did a great job on defense."

Butler finished with 12 digs and Carroll had 11 to go with 18 assists. Inck finished with 11 kills and eight digs. Erica Adachi had 21 assists.

NNU (5-3) has played well against other PacWest competition this season, sweeping Point Loma on its home court and taking California Baptist to five sets last night.