SIOUX CITY, IOWA – Fresno Pacific volleyball wrapped up a perfect season by winning its third straight national title on Saturday,
25-15, 25-18, 25-12 over Georgetown of Kentucky.
The Sunbirds (38-0), which held first place in every poll all season, dominated Georgetown (45-4) in the championship match after winning a five-set thriller over California rival Concordia in the semifinals.
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“I’m really proud of our girls," coach Dennis Janzen said after the championship match. "We stepped up at the right time, playing our best volleyball [at the national tournament].”
Earlier on Saturday, Fresno Pacific was pushed to the limit against Golden State Athletic Conference foe Concordia (30-8).
Ke Ke Wang led the Sunbirds with 16 kills, followed by
Martina Gregusova with 15,
Lisa Shilling with 11 and
Lauren Albertson with 10.
That would be the Sunbirds’ final challenge. They dominated every aspect of the championship match, outblocking Georgetown 8 to 3, out-digging 58 to 47, and out-hitting 41-29.
Gregusova led the Sunbirds with 11 kills while Shilling and Wang had 8 kills and four blocks apiece. Shilling continued her accurate attack with an amazing .889 hitting percentage with 8 kills in 9 attempts and no errors.
Mariah Mandelbaum had 16 digs for the Sunbirds while
Erica Adachi had 12 digs and led in assists with 22.
The Sunbirds finished with a .286 hitting percentage, getting better and better as the match progressed -- .212 in the first set, .265 in the second and .368 in their final set. Fresno Pacific finished the national tournament 18-2 in sets, sweeping five of its six opponents.
“It’s great to win with such a young team," Janzen said. "These ladies have done something special, and I cannot wait to see what they can accomplish in the future.”
More photos of the national championship are available at siouxlandsportsauthority.com.