FRESNO, Calif. – In their first year of competition, the Fresno Pacific stunt team hosted the West Conference Championships at the Special Events Center. The Lady 'Birds geared up for pool play matches against Concordia University Irvine and Hawaii Pacific on Friday, ultimately splitting the day (9-30) and (22-2).
GAME 1 | FPU 9, CUI 30
Kicking things off with routine one, the Sunbirds split the first point of Partner Stunts with the Golden Eagles. Despite the Lady 'Birds efforts, Concordia managed to jump ahead by two more points to close out the first quarter, 3-1.
Pyramids and Tosses may have given CUI an initial advantage, but the Blue and Orange captured another crucial point, heading into the half FPU 2 – CUI 8.
Coming out the half, both teams performed routine five for Jumps and Tumbling, flying into the air with ease. Concordia collected another big point at the start, but the Sunbirds' performance continued to amaze, applying pressure to the Golden Eagles. Just like that, FPU split three back-to-back points with CUI, trailing 15-5.
In the Team Routine, the 'Birds captured the first point of three in the quarter, bringing the score to 17-6. Not too long after, the Sunbirds added two more points to their belt before heading into a final timeout. The last routine was a fierce battle until the very end, but the Golden Eagles came out on top 30-10.
It was a huge improvement from the first time the 'Birds faced the Golden Eagles, building upon their initial 5-27 score from earlier this season.
GAME 2 | FPU, HPU
In the second match of the day, the 'Birds soared ahead 3-0, shutting out the Sharks in the first quarter. The two teams kicked things off with routine No. 1 in Pyramids and Tosses, but the Sunbirds won that point and didn't look back – sweeping past HPU in yet another quarter, wrapping the first half 7-0.
In quarter three, Hawaii Pacific secured their first point of the day, splitting the first routine with the 'Birds. It was followed by another split, bringing it to FPU 11 – HPU 2. Before the quarter ended, the Blue and Orange took care of business on routine two, adding another point to their board.
Team Routine, a combination of the first three quarters, was a marvel to watch! The Sunbirds competed uncontested in the first routine of the quarter, but were unable to garner any points from the judges. Coming out of a timeout, the Blue and Orange swept every point after that, gaining a large lead, 19-2. The last routine concluded the fourth quarter sweep with a final score of FPU 22- HPU 2.
With the impressive win, the Sunbirds picked up their first home win in program history!
"Super proud of these athletes," said first-year head coach Alyssa Troutt. "They fight hard and push through every single day. I couldn't have asked for a better group of young women. They are paving the way for young stunt athletes here in the valley and building a legacy here at Fresno Pacific!"
NEXT UP: The Lady 'Birds take on Jessup on Saturday morning at 10 am. The team that wins advances to the championship game, while the loser will compete in the third place match. Come down to the Special Events Center and cheer on your Sunbirds!
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