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FRESNO, Calif. - The No. 5 Fresno Pacific women's volleyball team kept the streak alive with their clean sweep over (RV) Concordia University Irvine on Friday at the Special Events Center. The Sunbirds advanced to 8-0 overall ahead of their conference opener on Saturday.

Kelsee Montagna mentioned, "Concordia is a really good team with some weapons that can hurt you, so I was really proud of how disciplined we stayed from start to finish. We knew coming in that we needed to win the serve-and-pass game."

In set one, CUI used three early kills, including two from Kayden Croy, to take a 4-2 lead, but the Sunbirds quickly answered with two Rylee Pitney kills to move ahead 5-4 before the set was tied at 5-5. Fresno Pacific then won seven of the next eight rallies to build a 12-6 advantage, with Madelyn Feramisco and Pitney combining for six kills during the stretch, all assisted by Mikayla Weiss. The Golden Eagles later cut the deficit to 20-16, but a Weiss kill and a block from Itzel Aguayo and Amanda Lauer pushed the 'Birds back in front 22-16. Aguayo and Feramisco added kills to help Fresno Pacific close out the opening set 25-18.

"When we're in system, we can establish our middles, play with tempo, and really put pressure on a defense. I thought we did a great job of controlling that first contact tonight and staying aggressive from the service line."

The Golden Eagles opened the second set with four straight points to take an 8-5 lead, but the Sunbirds battled back to tie it at 8-8 behind a Feramisco kill and two Addisen Hamilton kills. After the Golden Eagles regained the lead, Morgan Castaneda delivered a clutch service ace to tie the set at 15-15 and slow CUI's momentum. Julia Nicolet followed with an ace, but CUI answered with a block to make it 18-18. Feramisco then swung off the block for a 23-21 advantage, and despite a service error allowing CUI to pull within 24-23, Weiss delivered a beautiful back set to Hamilton, who finished the point to secure the set and put the 'Birds ahead 2-0.

The third set opened with a Feramisco ace down the center before the Sunbirds battled back from an early deficit to tie the set at 4-4. A crafty roll shot and ace from the Castanedas' along with a Sunbird back-row attack helped spark the run. Makayla Smith then stepped in with two aces to help FPU take a 9-5 lead. Hamilton continued to make her presence felt with powerful swings and well-placed tips over the block as the 'Birds maintained control. A successful challenge helped Fresno Pacific extend its lead to 20-14, but CUI rallied late to cut the deficit to 24-22. Weiss put the finishing touch on the sweep with a setter dump, sealing the third set 25-22.

Feramisco led the Sunbirds with her fifth double-double (13 kills and 13 digs). Weiss, the back-to-back FloCollege/CCAA Setter of the Week, finished with 34 assists, eight digs, five kills while hitting .364 and a block assist. Libero Castaneda anchored the defense with a team-high 17 digs, along with four assists and an ace. Pitney added nine kills while hitting an impressive .500, along with a block assist.

The nationally ranked Sunbirds are 8-0 overall with the conference opener against UC Merced on the horizon. "We're excited to get conference play underway. Opening on the road is always a challenge but what we've done in preseason has prepared us for this moment. Conference play brings a different level of intensity and every match matters. Our focus is to stay disciplined, play our style of volleyball, and continue to trust what has gotten us to this point. We're excited for the challenge and ready to get after it."

UP NEXT: The Birds take the short trip up the 99 to battle new conference rival UC Merced in their first-ever CCAA conference match tomorrow (Saturday), scheduled for 5pm.

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