RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Sunbirds (29-0, 18-0 GSAC) came up big against No. 2 Cal Baptist (24-4, 14-4 GSAC) after falling behind 0-2. Fresno Pacific took the final three sets committing only 14 errors after committing 15 in the first two sets. With the Sunbirds’ 18th GSAC victory this season, Fresno Pacific clinched the GSAC title as well as most likely the No. 1 seed at the National Tournament.
“I am really proud of the team,” commented Dennis Janzen, “Cal Baptist came out on fire, but our girls really stepped up and came back in an excited gym. It was a great No. 1-No. 2 matchup.”
The Lancers hit over .200 while the Sunbirds hit under .100 in the first two sets, where Fresno Pacific had their worst set of the season with a .074 hitting percentage in the second set. However, the Sunbirds fought back hitting .321 in the third set.
Martina Gregusova had an outstanding performance with 26 kills, 12 digs and 3 blocks for the match. Gregusova’s 26 kills led the match as well as her .388 hitting percentage on 49 attempts and seven errors.
Lisa Shilling led with eight blocks, three of which coming as solo blocks. Keke Wang also had eight total blocks of the Sunbirds 16 team blocks.
Lauren Albertson had five blocks with 11 kills along with Wang’s 11 kills for the Sunbirds.
The Sunbirds faced three must-win sets before taking the match. The fourth set was the closest as the Sunbirds squeaked by 25-22 while being out-hit .146 to .200 with nine errors in the fourth set alone. However, once the Sunbirds tied the match 2-2, they really came up big shutting down the Lancers. Fresno Pacific held Cal Baptist to a .074 hitting percentage as the Sunbirds charged ahead with a match-high .391 with only one error in the final set.
Coach Janzen finished, "It was an outstanding win on the road against a talented, physical team. We had a plan, and I was proud that our girls stuck to it even when we were down."
The Sunbirds finished their hardest week of matches on the season 3-0 over three different top-five teams. As the Sunbirds clinched the tenth GSAC title in a row, they prepare for their next match on the road against the Master’s College on Thursday, November 12. The match will begin at 7 p.m.