FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno Pacific picked up its fourth straight win with a five-set victory against Hawaii Hilo on Friday night. Set scores were 18-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-15 and 15-7 in favor of FPU at the Special Events Center.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Fresno Pacific 3, Hawai'i Hilo 2
Records: FPU (8-10, 6-3 PacWest), UHH (8-9, 5-5 PacWest)
Location:  Fresno, Calif. | Special Events Center
Series: The Sunbirds lead 10-3 against the Vulcans
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QUOTABLE:
• "I really stayed out of the huddles the last two sets and they had to own it and take charge. They responded and played hard to earn the win and I was pretty proud of them for that." - head coach Tracy Ainger-Schulte

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Sunbirds found themselves down 2-1 in the match before storming back to take the victory on their home court.
• In the fourth set, FPU used an impressive 14-1 run in the middle of the frame to take control. The run featured two Hilo timeouts and a balanced attack from the Sunbirds to put them up 23-8.
• FPU then jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the decisive fifth set to eventually earn the comeback win.
 
STATS OF THE GAME:
• Karah Mitchell led the Sunbirds with a season best 18 kills.
• The 'Birds had five players finish with double-digit kills, as Madison Pierce added 16, Kylei Dewar had 13, Gabriela Macedo chipped in with 12 and Malerie Crenshaw totaled 11.
• Greta Dobenecker dished out 31 assists and Christina Tran added 26.
• Tiff Wong headed the defense with a career best 28 scoops.
• FPU hit .225 as a team and held Hilo to a clip of .181.
• Hawai'i Hilo received 16 kills from Siera Green.
 
BEYOND THE BOX:
• The Sunbirds put down a season best 76 kills on the night, while the defense added a season high 98 digs.
• Wong's 28 digs were a season and career high, which bested her previous mark of 24 set on Monday.
• Dobenecker's 31 assists matched her career high and Pierce's 16 kills were a career best.
• The Sunbirds have a season-best four-game winning streak and have now won six of their last seven games.
 
UP NEXT:
• The Sunbirds are hosting a First Responders Day with festivities starting at 1 p.m. prior to the match against Point Loma on Saturday, Oct. 14. Families, fans and students are welcome to come eat, meet and greet our local law enforcement, firefighters and EMT personnel. All first responders will eat free and will be recognized at the start of the match.