FRESNO, Calif. — In a five set thriller, No. 4 Fresno Pacific (21-0, 9-0 CCAA) kept its perfect season alive Saturday, rallying past Chico State (5-12, 1-8 CCAA) in a non-conference match, with scores of 21-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-21, 15-11. The Wildcats secured the first and third set, but the Blue and Orange regrouped and secured the five-set win in a brilliant comeback.
"That was a gritty win, and I think we learned a lot about ourselves today. Credit to Chico State, they came in ready to compete and challenged us in ways we needed to be challenged," said head coach
Kelsee Montagna. "We weren't nearly as sharp or consistent as we expect ourselves to be, but what I loved was how we responded when our backs were against the wall. We had to dig deep, make adjustments, and find another gear when it mattered most."
The Wildcats came out strong in the opening set, building an early 9-3 lead.
Madelyn Feramisco answered with a pair of kills and added another to help the Sunbirds stay within reach. After Chico State stretched its advantage to 23-15, FPU mounted a late push behind kills from
Itzel Aguayo,
Makayla Smith and
Addisen Hamilton, a Smith-Pitney block and two
Rachel Plantinga aces. The rally brought the 'Birds within 24-21, but Chico State secured the final point to take the set 25-21.
FPU responded with energy in the second set, jumping ahead 3-0 after a Feramisco kill and consecutive Chico State errors. Hamilton, Aguayo and Feramisco helped extend the lead to 8-3, while the Sunbirds' offense and defense continued to click. Blocks involving Pitney,
Mikayla Weiss and Aguayo helped FPU build a 17-9 advantage. Feramisco added back-to-back kills as the 'Birds pulled ahead 23-15, and Chico State's late push fell short as the Sunbirds evened the match with a 25-19 win.
The third set brought another battle. FPU opened with a Weiss-Pitney block, but Chico State took control with a 6-2 lead. The Sunbirds fought back, with Hamilton and Aguayo combining for a block before Hamilton added a kill to make it 15-14. Aguayo followed with a kill, and blocks from Pitney and Hamilton helped bring FPU within two. Pitney continued to deliver timely kills, but the Wildcats held on to take the set 25-21 and move within one set of the match.
With their backs against the wall, the Sunbirds answered in the fourth. A
Jocelyn Yang ace, kills from Weiss and Hamilton, and a Feramisco-Aguayo block helped FPU jump ahead 5-2. Pitney added two kills, Smith served an ace and the 'Birds stretched their lead to 14-8. After Chico State pulled within 18-16, FPU responded with four straight points, including two more Pitney kills and a Smith finish. The Wildcats tried to rally late, but Pitney tipped the ball over the block to close out a 25-21 win and force a deciding fifth set.
The Sunbirds carried that momentum into the final frame. Pitney opened with a kill from Weiss, and Plantinga followed with an ace for a 2-0 lead. Aguayo's kill made it 5-2 before Chico State closed within one. FPU then took control with four consecutive points, highlighted by a Weiss block, a Hamilton kill and a Feramisco finish to go up 9-4. Chico State made one final push, cutting the margin to 11-7, but Weiss answered with a kill,
Devyn Castaneda added a service ace and Hamilton pushed the lead to 14-8. The Wildcats scored three straight before Smith delivered the final blow from the outside, sealing the 15-11 set and completing the comeback.
"Offensively, I loved that we had multiple players step up and produce. Addisen was outstanding, and Mik did a great job finding ways to get our hitters involved. But more than anything, I'm proud of the fight we showed in those final two sets."
Pitney led the Sunbirds with 18 points, eight total blocks and 13 kills while hitting .308. Hamilton added a team-high 15 kills, hit .407 and finished with 17 points. Weiss recorded 47 assists, nine kills, five digs and four total blocks, while Castaneda anchored the defense with a team-best 22 digs and four assists.
"We're going to continue pushing ourselves to play at a higher level because we know what we're capable of," mentioned Montagna. "Not every win is going to be pretty, but the ability to respond, compete, and finish when things aren't going your way says a lot about the character of this group."
The Sunbirds improved to 21-0 overall and 9-0 in CCAA play. The volleyball team is nationally-ranked fourth in the nation, and ranked first in NPI West Regional rankings.
NEXT UP: Fresno Pacific heads down the 99 to compete against Stanislaus State on Friday, October 30th at 5pm. The 'Birds will have a rematch against Chico State that Saturday in a 5pm showdown!
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