FRESNO, Calif. — No. 4 Fresno Pacific (20-0, 9-0 CCAA) kept its perfect season rolling Friday night, sweeping Cal Poly Humboldt (9-9, 4-5 CCAA) for the second straight weekend, this time in a non-conference matchup. The 'Birds took care of business in three sets, winning 25-12, 25-18, 25-14, to remain unbeaten.
"After a long road trip last weekend and some pretty crazy travel challenges, it feels really good to be back home and competing in our own gym. I was really proud of the level we played at tonight," said head coach Kelsee Montagna. "We're starting to see a different gear from this group offensively. We've been challenging ourselves to play faster, incorporate some new things into our offense, and continue sharpening what we already do well."
Humboldt struck first in the opening set with an overpass kill and a solo block, but the Sunbirds quickly flipped the script. With Devyn Castaneda at the service line, Rylee Pitney took over in the middle, hammering down three straight kills to give FPU a 5-3 lead. Rachel Plantinga added a hustle play in the back row before serving the 'Birds ahead 7-3. The Sunbirds kept the pressure on as Itzel Aguayo delivered a clutch middle block and Amanda Lauer finished the rally with a cross-court rocket to make it 12-6. Madelyn Feramisco added a service ace at 15-8, and Castaneda followed with a serve that ricocheted into the stands as FPU stretched its lead. The nationally ranked 'Birds cruised to a 25-12 opening-set victory.
"Tonight, I thought we saw a lot of that come together. Hitting .429 as a team, while continuing to put pressure on opponents from the service line is a great reflection of the work we've been putting in. It was a true team effort."
The second set was a tighter battle, with the teams trading points and remaining even at 15. After both sides struggled with service errors, Lola Highstreet sparked the Sunbirds offense in the middle, helping FPU pull ahead 20-16. Following an unsuccessful Humboldt challenge, Mikayla Weiss put away an overpass kill and Makayla Smith demolished a back-row attack to close out the set 25-18.
FPU carried that momentum into the third. Addisen Hamilton opened with back-to-back kills to help the 'Birds jump ahead 4-1, and Julia Nicolet made an immediate impact off the bench with a service ace to extend the lead to 9-4. The Sunbirds forced a Lumberjack timeout at 12-5 and kept rolling after the break, with Aguayo adding a solo block to fire up the home crowd. Taylor Boone, Malia Edwardson and Jayla Iversen also entered the match and contributed as the Sunbirds continued to pull away. Morgan Castaneda powered a swing through the block, Hamilton caught the defense off guard with a sneaky right-side kill, and Smith finished with a kill off the hands to seal the 25-14 set and complete the sweep.
"There are a few huge career-highs: Rylee hitting above an 800, who is now leading the nation in hitting percentage, Addie hitting 1000, and Makayla being unstoppable from the front and back row."
Smith led the Sunbirds with 15 kills and 17.5 points, adding seven digs and two service aces. Weiss dished out 40 assists and recorded two aces, while Devyn Castaneda tallied 15 digs and four service aces. Pitney was nearly unstoppable, putting away eight kills on nine attempts for a .889 hitting percentage. She currently ranks first in the nation in hitting percentage.
"What excites me most is that we're not satisfied with where we are. We're continuing to push the tempo, expand what we're capable of offensively, and challenge ourselves to execute at a higher level every time we step on the court," said Montagna. "I love the direction this group is heading, and I think we're just starting to scratch the surface of what we're capable of."
The Sunbirds improve to 20-0 overall and 9-0 in CCAA play. In the first NPI rankings of the season, Fresno Pacific was ranked first in the west regional rankings and sixth in the nation with an NPI value of 66.392 (as of Oct. 19).
NEXT UP: The No. 4 'Birds are back at home on Saturday, October 24th for the match against Chico State. Saturday's match is the Animal Humane Society's Blanket Drive! Get in for FREE by bringing any unused or new blankets, towels, sheets or bedding for donation!
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