ARCATA, Calif. — After facing flight delays and a postponed match, No. 4 Fresno Pacific made it to Arcata and continued its undefeated season Sunday, sweeping Cal Poly Humboldt (9-8, 4-5 CCAA) at Lumberjack Arena. The Sunbirds hit .313 with 34 kills and 11 service aces, keeping their perfect record intact with a strong performance on the road.
In set one, the 'Birds jumped out to a 13-8 lead before Humboldt briefly found a way to swing off the Sunbird block. A Lumberjack service error and a
Rachel Plantinga ace quickly restored FPU's momentum, pushing the lead to 16-9.
Rylee Pitney delivered a powerful side-out kill, sending the ball off the Humboldt libero and into the net, while
Mikayla Weiss caught the defense off guard with a deceptive setter kill to the back corner.
Jocelyn Yang then entered and immediately fired an ace, forcing a Humboldt timeout. FPU kept rolling behind
Madelyn Feramisco's well-placed roll shot, Weiss's quick thinking at the net and a Feramisco-Pitney block to reach match point. Addison Hamilton finished the set by swinging through the block for a 25-13 win.
In the second set, Humboldt stayed within reach early before back-to-back blocks from Pitney, working alongside Feramisco and Weiss, gave the Sunbirds a 7-3 advantage. Yang checked back in and promptly delivered her second ace of the match, keeping the pressure on the Lumberjacks.
Itzel Aguayo followed with a cross-body shot into the left-back corner, and FPU quickly built a 12-4 lead. Weiss added back-to-back aces to claim the 14th and 15th points, then connected with Aguayo on a free-ball opportunity to make it 18-5. With
Malia Edwardson serving, the 'Birds reached 20 points and continued to pull away.
Morgan Castaneda added a pair of smart attacks, including a beautiful roll shot over the block, while
Devyn Castaneda served at match point. Hamilton sealed the set with an outside block as FPU cruised to a 25-8 victory, the biggest set lead this season!
The Lumberjacks came out swinging in the third, building an early 6-2 lead before a missed serve gave FPU a chance to regroup. Castaneda swung off the hands and teamed with Pitney for an outside block, while
Makayla Smith's service ace tied the set at 7. Humboldt continued to push, holding a three-point advantage before Aguayo and Castaneda helped bring the Sunbirds within one at 12-13. A Weiss-Pitney block tied the set at 14, and Plantinga's service ace gave FPU its first lead. Pitney followed with a slide kill to add some insurance. The Lumberjacks refused to go quietly, turning up the pressure as the set reached its final points. But the Sunbirds answered with gritty defense, highlighted by a solo block from Pitney in the middle and a quick inside set to Feramisco. FPU closed out the set 25-19 to complete the sweep.
Pitney led the way with seven kills on nine attacks for a .778 hitting percentage, adding five blocks. Weiss recorded 25 assists, three service aces and six digs, while libero Castaneda collected 13 digs and four assists. Plantinga chipped in nine digs and three aces.
The nationally-ranked Sunbirds improved to 19-0 overall and 9-0 in CCAA play.
NEXT UP: The 'Birds are back at home this upcoming weekend. Fresno Pacific will face Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, Oct. 23 at 7pm, then take on Chico State the next day at 2pm!
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