FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno Pacific overcame early adversity on Saturday to take down Hawaii-Hilo 3-1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-18) to start their season a perfect 3-0 at the Sunbird Classic.
"I'm incredibly proud of the toughness we showed today," said Head Coach
Kelsee Montagna after the Sunbirds win. "Hilo is a really good, aggressive team that puts pressure on you from the start. We didn't get off the court until almost 11pm last night, then came back today and dropped the first set, and had every excuse to let fatigue take over, but this group refused to do that."
Though Hilo was playing in their second match of the day, it was the Vulcans who seized early momentum 11-6 in the first frame. A
Morgan Castaneda kill brought the Sunbirds within one, 15-14, but that's as close as Fresno Pacific would get in the first. The Vulcans shot a blistering 46% in the set, led by Alohi Garcia with eight kills.
Set two started as a back-and-forth affair, until a
Rylee Pitney kill sparked a five-point Sunbird rally to give Fresno Pacific a 10-4 advantage. Hilo would never get closer than three for the remainder of the set, as the Sunbirds capitalized on some key Vulcan errors to take the second set and knot the match at one apiece.
The third set saw momentum swing at a fever pitch, while the fatigue of the 3-day tournament started to show for both sides. Fresno Pacific took an early 10-5 lead thanks to a few Vulcan errors, however the Sunbirds would quickly return the favor committing multiple errors of their own, even falling behind briefly 14-13. The set would continue its back-and-forth nature, tied at 20 down the stretch. A
Madelyn Feramisco side-out kill would give serve back to the Sunbirds, and after three straight points with
Julia Nicolet at the service line, a Feramisco kill would give the Sunbirds the set and really put the momentum with the home side.
When it comes time to close out matches, you often see your best players step up, and
Mikayla Weiss certainly did that in the fourth set, with an assist, ace, and kill in succession to give Fresno Pacific a commanding 14-9 edge. Three big kills from
Rylee Pitney down the stretch helped cushion the 'Birds lead, and Weiss finished the match off with the game-winning kill.
Montagna expressed gratitude about the team's performance tonight, stating, "They found another gear, competed for each other, and took control of the match. That's what I love about this team. We're learning early that it doesn't have to be pretty; we just have to stay together, keep fighting, and find a way."
Feramisco led the Sunbird charge offensively with 15 kills on the night. It was the third straight game the sophomore eclipsed the 10-kill mark. Weiss finished with seven kills (40% ATK), eight digs, and 41 assists to bring the AVCA All-American setter's total to 100 total assists through the first three games of the season.
NEXT UP: It's four games in three days at the Ice Block Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. The action starts Thursday, September 3
rd against Minnesota State University Mankato, with games against Tiffin University and West Region powers Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska-Fairbanks to follow.
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