Box ScoreThe top local volleyball talent was on display Tuesday night at the Save Mart Center as FPU and Fresno State squared off in their annual crosstown exhibition in front of 1500 fans. The Sunbirds battled in a competitive three set-match but ultimately the size and athleticism of the Division I Bulldogs won out by scores of 25-19, 25-22 and 25-17.
"I told the girls from the beginning that we were going to use this match as a means to get better and prepare for Cal Baptist," said head coach
Matt Terra. "This was a perfect environment to prepare for CBU cause their gym gets very loud and they have a great home court advantage. We were able to run what we wanted to run and a lot of it seemed to work against a bigger block than we're used to, similar to what we're going to see at CBU. So that was our whole focus, making sure that we're preparing, getting better and making sure we're ready to go this weekend and I think we accomplished that goal tonight."
Gabriela Macedo led the Sunbirds with 12 a match-high kills.
Montana Lowe added nine,
Sarah McCann finished with eight and
Carley Bock had six.
Bissie DenHartog dished out 33 assists and
Hannah Butler finished with 14 digs.
Zana Bowen led the Bulldogs with 10 kills. Fresno State hit .327 as a team compared to .231 for FPU.
The Sunbirds (1-5) hung with the Bulldogs (8-6) all night, particularly in set two when the teams traded points throughout and FPU hit .324 as a team.
FPU has an all-time record of 7-3 in 10 matches against the Bulldogs with Fresno State taking the last three matchups. The Sunbirds resume regular season PacWest play this Friday at Cal Baptist.
