FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno Pacific and Fresno State faced off in the annual crosstown exhibition at the Save Mart Center on Monday night, as the Sunbirds battled tough before falling to the Bulldogs in straight sets in front of 1,111 fans. Set scores were 25-19, 25-21 and 25-17.
 
"I thought we competed well tonight," said head coach Tracy Ainger-Schulte. "Fresno State is a solid team all the way around, and I feel like we never backed down from the challenge. Tonight we got better as a team in many different ways, and I think the players are starting to believe in themselves more as individuals, and as a unit."
 
The size and athleticism of the Division I Bulldogs proved to be the difference, as Fresno State finished the night hitting .314 as a team and totaled 10 service aces. The Sunbirds answered with a team mark of .263 on the offensive side.
 
The Sunbirds hung tough in each set, especially the second where FPU held a 17-12 advantage before the Bulldogs stormed back behind a 13-4 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Fresno State carried the momentum into the third set to eventually earn the sweep behind a set-high .387 hitting attack.
 
Montana Lowe and Jasmine Phoolka led FPU with eight kills apiece. Lowe finished the night with a .667 hitting attack, while Phoolka finished at .318. Carley Bock added seven kills and three blocks, Karah Mitchell had six kills and freshman Hailey Hilvers put down four. Bissie DenHartog facilitated the offense with 28 assists, while Chelsea Speaks led the defense with 16 digs.
 
Aleisha Coates led the Bulldogs with 14 kills, while Brielle Hefner finished in double digits with 10. Maggie Eppright led the defense with 10 digs.
 
FPU has an all-time record of 7-4 in 11 matches against the Bulldogs, with Fresno State taking the last four matchups.

The Sunbirds resume regular season play with their PacWest opener on Friday at Concordia (7 p.m.)