CHICO, Calif. — On the spookiest day of the month, No. 4 Fresno Pacific volleyball continued its undefeated season Saturday, sweeping Chico State 25-13, 25-18, 25-21 to improve to 23-0 overall and 11-0 in CCAA play. It marked the 16th sweep of the season for the Blue and Orange.
FPU controlled the opening set behind a balanced attack, using kills from
Madelyn Feramisco,
Addisen Hamilton,
Makayla Smith and
Rylee Pitney to build an early advantage. After Chico State pulled within two, Feramisco sparked a run with a solo block and a kill, followed by a strong service stretch that helped the Sunbirds pull away for a 25-13 win.
The Sunbirds faced a closer challenge in the second set, but a four-point run featuring a
Mikayla Weiss ace, a Feramisco block and another Feramisco kill gave FPU some separation. Fresno Pacific maintained its lead behind timely kills and a
Morgan Castaneda-Pitney block before Weiss closed the set with an ace, 25-18.
In the third, it was another battle between the two teams. Although the Sunbirds gained a four-point advantage, the Wildcats managed to climb back from the 14-11 lead to make it 15-13. Fresno Pacific remained diligent at the net and successfully stopped the Wildcats offensive attempts to rally, pushing ahead 20-16. Chico State made a valiant comeback, charging back to 21-20, but
Morgan Castaneda's big swing on the right-side stopped their late surge and brought FPU to 22. With
Makayla Smith serving behind the line, a Wildcats error and a block by Pitney-Hamilton secured the 23rd straight win of the season for Fresno Pacific.
Feramisco led FPU with 10 kills while hitting .455 and added 12 digs, officially securing her seventh double-double this season. Weiss finished with 38 assists, eight digs, two aces and three block assists, while Pitney contributed seven kills on a .545 hitting percentage and a team-high five total blocks.
The Sunbirds remain the only undefeated team in the CCAA at 23-0 overall and 11-0 in conference play. Fresno Pacific is ranked fourth nationally and has held the top spot in the NPI West Regional rankings for two consecutive weeks. Pitney was crowned number one in the nation in hitting percentage (.450) for the second consecutive week and the team boasts their own impressive .305 hitting percentage to place third overall in the nation. Weiss ranks 12th in the nation in assists-per-set (10.72) and leads the CCAA in assists and assists-per-set, while libero
Devyn Castaneda places first in digs-per-set.
In the first year in the CCAA, FPU volleyball has clinched its spot in the 2026 conference championships hosted by Cal State East Bay.
To view the CCAA Championships Tournament Central, CLICK HERE.
UP NEXT: Fresno Pacific heads into its final week of regular season play. The Sunbirds' final homestand will include a Friday match against Cal State LA at 5pm followed by the long-awaited showdown between #14 Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday, Nov. 7th at 1pm (SENIOR DAY).
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