SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.- The Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (5-6 overall, 2-1 PacWest) won an absolute battle in the Bay over the Academy of Art (1-12 overall, 0-6 PacWest) Wednesday night at Kezar Pavillion. 

The battle began early in the first set with both teams trading point for point with 13 tie scores and eight lead changes. 

The Sunbirds were finally able to break away at 23-23 to win three straight points to take the set 25-23. The points came off a service ace from Corinne Acosta, a service error on the Urban Knights, and a team block by Makena Ogas and Madison Girnius. 

The 'Birds continued that momentum into the second set winning four unanswered points to take the early lead. 

A series of errors by the Sunbirds allowed the Urban Knights to come storming back with a run of their own with seven straight points. Fresno Pacific attempted a comeback  coming within one but that was as close as it would get as Art secured the second 25-19. 

The Urban Knights momentum continued into the third. Tied at 14-14, Art would pull away with three straight points and never look back taking the third 25-19. 

The fourth continued much in the same way as teams traded point for point.

Fresno Pacific was finally able to break through with a series of points with kills from Girnius and Mia Gilcrest as well as multiple errors on the Urban Knights to tie the score at 2 sets apiece. 

The fifth and deciding set followed the trend with both teams trading side out to side out.

At 6-6, a kill from Acosta and two service aces by Cambria Waites gave the Sunbirds their largest lead of the set at three.

The Sunbirds would win four out of the next five points to take the set 15-9 and the match 3-2. The points came off a kill by Gilcrest, an error on the Knights, and a game winning service ace by Rachel Plantinga. 

The 'Birds would finish the match with four players with 10 kills or more with senior veteran Ogas leading the way at 16. 

Four Sunbirds would also finish with one service ace or more with both McKenna Hughes and Waites recording two. 

Defensively, Fresno Pacific recorded 12 blocks with six team blocks, four of them coming from Girnius. 

"I am proud of the way our ladies came out swinging to start the match and how we bounced back in sets four and five," said head coach Mike MacNeil. "Now we turn the page and put all our energy into Westmont for our home opener this Saturday."

The Sunbirds head home for their first home match of the season this Saturday at 3:00pm in the Special Events Center against the Westmont Warriors.

Fans are encouraged to come out early, be loud, and wear white. 

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