Fresno Pacific 3, Southern Oregon 0
Box Score
Fresno Pacific improved to 4-0 on the year, defeating #13 Southern Oregon on its home floor in straight sets on Saturday (25-19, 25-22, 25-16).
Martina Gregusova had 13 kills to lead the Sunbirds, while Lisa Shilling added nine. Erica Adachi finished with 29 assists in the win.
The Sunbirds took the first set 25-19, pulling away after a 15-15 tie. Gregusova and Adachi led the way with five kills and 12 assists respectively.
In set two the Sunbirds used a balanced attack to jump ahead 7-1. But the Raiders, fueled by the home crowd, climbed back to make it 13-12. Karah Mitchell knocked home a kill to make it 14-12 and the Sunbirds regained momentum from there, carrying them to a 23-18 lead.
The Raiders would make it interesting by taking three straight points, but two kills by Keke Wang allowed the Sunbirds to close it out.
The Sunbirds put SOU away in the final set, behind strong play from outside hitters Gregusova and Michelle Johnson. An 8-1 run near the end of the set allowed FPU to finish them off 25-16.
FPU has now won 45 consecutive matches. The team will be back in the upper northwest next weekend, when they travel to Seattle for scrimmages against NCAA Division II schools. The Sunbirds return to regular season action the next weekend, September 4, at the Asics/Crowne Plaza Labor Day Tournament in Southern California.
Games will be played in both Costa Mesa and Irvine, with the Sunbirds slated to take on Westminster (UT), CSU Dominguez Hills, #25 Carroll (MT) and Rocky Mountain (MT).
Fresno Pacific 3, Embry-Riddle (FL) 2
BOX SCORE
FPU received quite a scare, but in the end it was the top-ranked Sunbirds holding off Embry-Riddle (FL) in five sets (25-20, 21-25, 25-18, 26-28, 15-13) at the Paul Elliott Invitational in Ashland, Oregon.
The Sunbirds have not had a match end this close since December 2008, their last loss.
"That's definitely a national tournament team," said coach Dennis Janzen about the Eagles. "They're well-coached and they're going to be very good."
Martina Gregusova led the Sunbirds with 21 kills, including the game-winner. Keke Wang added 16, Lisa Shilling had 11 and Michelle Johnson finished with 10.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan. The Sunbirds had dropped the second set, but had taken the first and third sets and were on their way to closing out the match, leading 15-11. That’s when the Eagles showed their resilience, sticking with FPU the entire way and tying the game at 22.
FPU took the lead, but was penalized for a service rotation error which took away points.
"In all the excitement, a couple kids jumped in the wrong spots," said Janzen.
The Sunbirds would still have a chance to win it, up 24-23, but a kill and service ace by the Eagles’ Jordan Holcomb turned the tables and gave Embry-Riddle a chance to close it out. FPU would tie it again, but the Eagles would eventually put together two in a row to win 28-26.
In the decisive fifth set the Sunbirds built up a 7-4 lead behind the play of freshmen Karah Mitchell and Kathleen Anderson. But as proved to be true all night, Embry-Riddle would not go quietly. The Eagles ran off three straight kills, before a kill by Anderson regained the FPU lead.
The rest of the set was a battle, with no team able to build a clear advantage. A kill by Michelle Johnson put the Sunbirds up 13-11, but the Eagles answered immediately with a kill of their own. Lisa Shilling then brought the Sunbirds to match-point once again, on an assist from Emily Carroll.
ERAU would tack on one more point, but Martina Gregusova promptly ended the Eagles' upset bid with her 21st kill to end the match.
"Mariah Mandelbaum came up huge in the libero spot," said Janzen of the final set. "I thought our passers did a great job."
Erica Adachi finished with a career-high 35 assists in the win, while Emily Carroll added 28 assists. Mariah Mandelbaum contributed 26 digs. Shilling and Wang finished with six blocks apiece.
Abby Hall led the Eagles with 21 kills. Holcomb finished with 17. ERAU setter Adriana Vazquez had 50 assists in the loss.
"That team would do very well in the GSAC," said Janzen. "This was a great game for us to play at this point in the season."
FPU improves to 3-0 and will face #13 Southern Oregon at 7:30. ERAU defeated Southern Oregon yesterday 3-1.
LIVE STATS