FRESNO, Calif.- It was battle from start to finish for the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds as they fell in three tightly contested sets Friday evening to the Azusa Pacific Cougars. 

Fresno Pacific came out strong in the first set, starting with a balanced offensive attack. Geneva Elliott registered an early kill, assisted by Cambria Waites, while Mia Gilcrest contributed with another kill shortly after.

The Sunbirds took a 7-4 lead after an attack error by Azusa Pacific. 

However, Azusa Pacific began to claw back, capitalizing on some Fresno Pacific errors, and soon the score was tied at 10-10.

The Cougars powered through with consistent kills to build a small lead. 

Claire Corippo and Makayla Smith kept Fresno Pacific within reach with strong attacking, but errors on the Sunbirds enabled the Cougars to edge ahead.

Despite a late push with kills from Smith and Elliott, Fresno Pacific dropped the set 25-22.

The second set was a thrilling back-and-forth affair, with seven ties and three lead changes.

Fresno Pacific began the set aggressively, with Elliott and Gilcrest again leading the attack. The Sunbirds managed to take an early lead at 6-2 thanks to back-to-back attack errors from Azusa Pacific and a strong block from Elliott.

Azusa Pacific rallied, tying the game at 7-7. 

Devyn Castaneda provided a service ace to give the 'Birds a slim lead, but Azusa Pacific answered with a service ace of their own.

Smith had an impressive set, registering multiple kills to keep the Sunbirds close.

The teams exchanged points, with neither able to pull away.

At 24-24, Azusa took advantage of two consecutive Sunbird errors to steal the set 26-24.

The third and final set was the closest and most intense of the match, with eight ties and six lead changes.

Fresno Pacific started strong, with kills from Corippo and Gilcrest putting them ahead 7-4 early. McKenna Hughes provided a service ace, and Smith and Madison Girnius continued to be forces at the net.

Fresno Pacific maintained a narrow lead through the middle of the set, with key kills by Smith and Elliott and an ace by Corippo giving them a 14-9 advantage.

However, the Cougars rallied once again, tying the game at 18-18 after a series of kills. 

The teams traded points, with neither able to pull away as the set reached extra points.

With the score tied at 27-27, Azusa Pacific capitalized on an attack error and a final kill to win the set 29-27 and complete the sweep.

Fresno Pacific will look to bounce back quickly as they host Westmont tomorrow at 5pm at the Special Events Center. 

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