SURPRISE, Ariz. – The Fresno Pacific women's tennis team played Academy of Art in the consolation bracket on Friday, picking up a thrilling 4-3 victory to advance to the fifth-place match against MSU Denver on Saturday at 9:00 a.m.
 
QUOTABLE:

• "I saw great fighting spirit in every match. Every point was important, and our student-athletes were able to grind it out and stay in the match. We were ultra-competitive and when we saw our window of opportunity, we didn't hesitate to jump through it and take it advantage of it. It was fantastic to see that type of effort and intensity on every court. It's going to great to play MSU Denver for fifth place. They are a team we haven't been able to play this season and we're looking forward to that match." - head coach George Rodriguez. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Sunbirds stormed back to take the top two doubles flights and the first point of the day after falling on Court 3.
• Academy of Art got on the board with Julia Ortega's 6-4, 6-2 win in #6 singles, but Lea Falentin's 6-2, 7-5 victory in the second flight put the Blue and Orange back in front 2-1. 
• Sanne Brull defeated ART U's Erica Hellbe 6-1, 7-6 to put the 'Birds up 3-1.
• The Urban Knights knotted the match 3-3 after taking flight four and flight one.
• The deciding point came down to Alice Di Matteo and Nicole Shiau. Di Matteo stayed the course, taking the third flight 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, securing the match 4-3 for the 'Birds.  

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• The Sunbirds and Urban Knights have met in three different locations this spring, with the Blue and Orange picking up a pair of victories along the way. 

UP NEXT:

• The Sunbirds will now face MSU Denver in their final match of the season on Saturday morning. The winner will finish in fifth place in the PacWest Championship standings and would be the highest result for FPU since relaunching the program. 

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