SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Competing for the PacWest Conference title, Fresno Pacific battled Point Loma in what could only be considered the game of the year. The thrilling five-set match might have ended the 'Birds winning streak, but the team left San Diego as PacWest Conference Co-Champions. The match concluded with scores of 29-27, 25-27, 23-25, 25-22, 13-15.

"It was a battle tonight, which it should be at this point in the season," said head coach Kelsee Montagna. "Even though tonight didn't end in our favor, I am so proud of what we have done thus far in the season. One of our goals was to be PacWest Champions, it was never to be undefeated, even though that has a nice ring to it, and we succeeded. We still have a lot of more volleyball to play and just need to tighten up a few plays here and there. Overall, we are excited for this upcoming week to battle it out in the first PacWest Conference Tournament match."

The No. 9 'Birds opened the match with a strong performance, maintaining a tight contest against Point Loma. Despite impressive defense by the Sea Lions, Mikayla Weiss shifted the momentum with a clutch block against their outside and an line attack from Cambria Waites. Libero Devyn Castaneda was crucial for the Sunbirds defense as she saved unexpected tips and hard swings from hitting the floor. The 'Birds claimed a 19-17 lead over PLNU, but the Sea Lions took advantage of a few Sunbird errors to tie it 19-19. After a net violation by the Sea Lions, Waites and Geneva Elliott were ready at the net for the next attempt, blocking the ball straight down to make it 21-19. Feramisco perfectly placed the ball down the line, deflecting off an unprepared defender, but the Sea Lions tied it 22 all with a block against Waites. Coming out of the timeout, Itzel Aguayo and Sydney Hancock remained vigilant as the teams exchanged points, pushing all the way to 26-27. A well executed dump by Weiss tied it back up 27-27, before Elliott and Waites brought the house down with a remarkable block in the middle. Taking charge, Elliott smashed an overpass back down to claim it 28-26.

The next three sets were just as intense as the first for the ranked teams. Point Loma came back to win the second set, while the Sunbirds rallied to push it to five sets after going 25-22, with both teams narrowly winning the sets by a two-point margin. Key contributions came from Elliott, Feramisco, and Waites in these sets with clutch assists from Weiss.

The fifth set was neck and neck until a big swing on the outside by Feramisco and a block by Elliott pushed it to 7-8. The Sea Lions barely pushed ahead as the teams switched sides, Hancock captured two back-to-back service aces to give FPU a two-point lead, 10-8. The Sunbird middles got in on the action as Elliott dumped the ball over and Aguayo captured another block. The set saw a back-and-forth exchange, with Cambria Waites delivering a key kill to level the score at 13-13. In a heartbreaking moment, PLNU took the final set 13-15, handing FPU their first official loss of the season.

Weiss led the team with 42 assists and contributed defensively with six total blocks. Elliott added 13 kills and was a force at the net with seven total blocks, finishing with 17 points. Waites collected 17 digs while also contributing offensively with 13 kills, marking the third straight double-double for the senior attacker. Feramisco recorded 15 kills and added 21 digs, totaling 19.5 points in the match and her fourth double-double in her freshman season. The 'Birds recorded 63 kills and 20 blocks in a match that saw momentum shift frequently between the two ranked teams.

The Sunbirds finished the regular season 23-1 overall and 11-1 in PacWest play. Since both teams closed the season 11-1 in the PacWest, FPU and PLNU tied for the PacWest conference title, reigning supreme as co-champions. It has been a remarkable season for the Sunbirds as they received national recognition for the first time since 2013, broke into the Top 10 for the first time in the Division II era, and surpassed their initial preseason conference ranking (fifth place) by a landslide. Becoming PacWest Regular Season Co-Champions is just the start for FPU, the 'Birds fly to the PacWest Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii on November 21-22 to take on Chaminade in the semifinal match. Further down the line, the No. 9 'Birds can look forward to NCAA Regionals.

For more information, click here for the PacWest Volleyball Championship Tournament Central.

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