FRESNO, Calif. — The No. 12 'Birds defeated Chaminade in four sets in the final home match of the season, winning 25-18, 22-25, 25-15, and 25-17. Coming off the win, FPU volleyball officially punched their ticket to the PacWest Championships after going 22-0 overall and 10-0 in conference play.

"Such a great way to finish off on our home court. I am so proud of everyone on this team," said head coach Kelsee Montagna. "They have done an incredible job at pushing themselves and each other every single day in the gym. We knew Cham was going to test us and even though we didn't play our best tonight we did overcome adversity in high pressure situations. We are so thankful for all our fans, families, staff and supporters who have made this atmosphere absolutely electric all season long!"

Sydney Hancock led the team with 13 kills on 33 attempts, contributing significantly to the offense. Cambria Waites excelled defensively, recording 20 digs while also adding 13 kills and a service ace, marking her sixth double-double. Mikayla Weiss facilitated the offense with 35 assists and added six kills on a .333 hitting percentage. Middle Geneva Elliott was efficient in attack, registering eight kills with a .429 hitting percentage and contributing three block assists.

Fresno Pacific began the first set with an early challenge, falling behind as Chaminade capitalized on two service aces to take a 3-0 lead. However, the Sunbirds responded with a unexpected kill by Weiss, followed by a service ace from Madelyn Feramisco, narrowing the gap to 3-2. A series of errors from Chaminade allowed them to mount a comeback along with a kill by Waites to bring the score to an even 7-7. Building on this momentum, FPU surged ahead with a series of offensive plays, including a service ace by Waites and a kill by Sydney Hancock, pushing the lead to 10-7. Despite Chaminade's efforts, the Sunbirds maintained the upper hand and extended their advantage to claim the set.

In the second set, despite maintaining a narrow lead, the Blue and Orange faced several service errors that allowed Chaminade to close the gap. The Sunbirds managed a series of critical points with Sydney Hancock at the net, supported by Feramisco's effective play. However, Chaminade capitalized on attack errors and executed a run that extended their advantage. Despite a late push from Feramisco's consistent attacks, the set concluded with Chaminade winning 25-22.

Fresno Pacific began the third set by overcoming an early deficit through consistent scoring and defensive stops. Hancock and Waites led a critical 6-0 run, capitalizing on opposition errors and strong defensive plays to push the score to 9-4. Weiss and Aguayo contributed key kills, maintaining the momentum and extending the lead to 17-10. A series of blocks and kills from the Sunbirds stifled Chaminade's efforts, sealing the set with a score of 25-15 in favor of the home team.

As the final set progressed, Waites and Aguayo added crucial points to extend Fresno Pacific's advantage. Despite a brief rally from Chaminade, Hancock and Elliott delivered pivotal kills to maintain the lead. The Sunbirds closed the set strong with Waites and Hancock sealing the final points, concluding with a 25-17 score. It was the first time the Sunbirds had beaten Chaminade since 2014.

The Sunbirds hold a perfect record of 22-0 overall and 10-0 in the PacWest, leading the conference standings as the only undefeated team.

NEXT UP: The No. 12 'Birds are among four teams who will compete at the PacWest Volleyball Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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