LA MIRADA, Calif.- It was historic night for the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds who claimed the victory in a tightly contest five set battle against the Biola Eagles 3-2 to secure their first win in La Mirada since 2011.
The first set saw a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, with six ties and three lead changes.
Biola gained the upper hand late in the set with strong defense capitalizing on the Sunbirds attacking errors.
Despite a solid start by Fresno Pacific, Biola pulled ahead in the final points, securing the set 25-21.
The Sunbirds responded strongly in the second set, coming out aggressive.
In the second, the 'Birds had 16 kills with only 4 errors, achieving a hitting percentage of .387.
The set featured five ties and two lead changes, but FPU took control midway, winning 25-18.
Fresno Pacific continued their momentum in the third set.
The third set was the best of the match as the Sunbirds committed only three attack errors, posting a .417 hitting percentage.
The team also dominated at the net with several key blocks, led by
Madison Girnius and
Geneva Elliott.
Although the Eagles kept it close early on, the 'Birds pulled away to take the set 25-19, going up 2-1 in the match.
Biola bounced back in the fourth set with renewed energy, taking advantage of FPU's struggles.
The Sunbirds had their worst set of the night in set three as they hit negatively (-0.067) with only 6 kills and 8 errors, while the Eagle's attack remained steady.
The score was tied nine times, but Biola surged ahead in the second half of the set to win 25-17, forcing a decisive fifth set.
The final set was tightly contested at first, but Fresno Pacific quickly took control.
Mia Gilcrest and
Makayla Smith delivered crucial kills, along with stellar defense, with blocks from
Geneva Elliott and
Yajaira Gahagan.
Biola's errors added up, allowing Fresno Pacific to build a lead and ultimately win the set 15-9, closing out the match 3-2.
Smith ended the match with a season high of 19 kills with Gilcrest behind with 13.
The 'Birds showed dominance on the blocks recording 26 with Girnius leading the way with seven and Elliott with six.
Fresno Pacific will look to carry their winning momentum into tomorrow as they face off against the Concordia University Irvine Golden Eagles at 1pm in CU Arena.
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