FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno Pacific and Fresno State faced off in the annual crosstown exhibition at the Save Mart Center on Tuesday night in front of 1,297 Valley fans. The Sunbirds, who were taking the court for the first time this season, came out tough before falling to the Bulldogs 3-0. Set scores were 25-19, 25-13 and 25-17.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Fresno State 3, Fresno Pacific 0
Records: FPU (0-0), FS (2-1)
Location:  Fresno, Calif. | Save Mart Center
Series: FPU leads 7-5 over the Bulldogs (Last played in 2016)
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FROM HEAD COACH TRACY AINGER-SCHULTE
• "Tonight was an amazing atmosphere for our student-athletes. We had a great crowd supporting us, and most importantly supporting our community by giving back to the Marjaree Mason Center. While we would've liked to play a more competitive match, it's always nice to compete against a tough team in an aggressive setting to get a gauge on where we are to start the season."  

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Sunbirds used a 4-0 run in the opening set to tie the match at 13-13, but Fresno State answered with its own 5-0 run to take control of the first frame. FPU cut the deficit to 23-19 after a kill from Karah Mitchell and an error from FS, but the Bulldogs closed out the set with two straight points.
• The Bulldogs used their size and athleticism to their advantage in the final two sets to earn the sweep with set scores of 25-13 and 25-17.  

STATS OF THE GAME:
• Mitchell led the Sunbirds with nine kills and nine digs.
• Greta Dobenecker dished out a team-high 18 assists for FPU.
• Malerie Crenshaw totaled five kills in the middle for the Sunbirds, while Christina Tran added eight digs.
• The Sunbirds struggled offenseively as a team, being held to an .000 attack percentage, while Fresno State countered at .208.
• The Bulldogs controlled the net and outblocked the Sunbirds 10.5-4.0 on the night.
 
BEYOND THE BOX:
• FPU is 4-2 in season openers since joining the PacWest in 2012, including tonight's exhibition. The previous loss came in 2015 against San Francisco State.
• The Bulldogs have now won the last five matchups after FPU had taken the first seven meetings.
• The Sunbirds sold t-shirts prior to the game and donated the profits to the Marjaree Mason Center.  

UP NEXT:
• FPU begins regular season play on Friday, Sept. 1 at the Cal State San Marcos Volleyball Classic. The Sunbirds open the tournament against Adelphi at 10 a.m. in San Marcos. Fans can keep up with live stats at fpuathletics.com.