Matt Weir / The Collegian

The Fresno State volleyball team finally won their first sets against cross-town rival Fresno Pacific Wednesday night, but the Bulldogs̢۪ efforts fell short when the Sunbirds defeated them after a close, nail-biting tiebreaker battle in the fifth set.

In the previous four meetings, Fresno State struggled to win a set against the Sunbirds, losing all four matches 0-3.

The ̢۪Dogs won their first ever set against Fresno Pacific when Brianna Clarke and Marissa Brand blocked the Sunbirds̢۪ in the second set.

After several long rallies in the third set, Clarke̢۪s back-to-back kills to the middle gave the team another set point.

The ̢۪Dogs surrendered their 2-1 lead in the fourth set when FPU forced a fifth and deciding set.

In the race-to-15 tiebreaker, both teams put on long rallies throughout the set, but an ace and a kill for the final two points gave the Sunbirds the set and match point.

Though the game was only an exhibition that does not count in Fresno State̢۪s record, it was still a difficult loss for coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell.

Netherby-Sewell said that the team did show improvements by winning two sets against FPU, but was disappointed.

Brianna Campbell / The Collegian

“It was an improvement, but it’s not good enough for us,â€Â she said. “We’re better than that. We need to start having the expectations to put three together, whether it be in a row, four or five [sets].â€Â

One of the downfalls for the ̢۪Dogs was the lack of communication. In several plays, the Bulldog made errors because of misunderstanding of responsibilities.

“Communication is the biggest problem in the game. That’s definitely something we’re working on as a team,â€Â Clarke said. “It’s just that when we’re in a slump we can’t stay down there, we have to pick it up.â€Â

Like all the other players, Clarke took the loss hard, but she has a personal agenda. The Fresno-versus-Fresno rivalry runs high in her household.

“It’s kind of funny because my mom played here [at FPU],â€Â she said. “It’s kind of like our little battle and I wanted to beat the team my mom played for.â€Â

Kelly Leonardo led the team in offense with 10 kills and nine blocks. Leonardo said they should have won that game.

“We’ve improved as a team, but we were looking at the win, and we deserved to win,â€Â she said. “We’re not satisfied with that loss.â€Â

The dark horses of the competition were the freshmen Bulldogs that stepped up when the veterans were struggling.

Taylor Horton̢۪s kill in the second set helped rally a comeback that led to a set win. Brand had seven kills and four blocks, including the set-winning block in the second set. Freshman outside hitter Cecilia Agraz scored five kills for the ̢۪Dogs in her debut.

“Fresno Pacific is used to being very, very aggressive and our team was very intimidated by that. We put in the freshmen and people who don’t have the history, so they settled us down in the second set,â€Â Netherby-Sewell said “I’m really proud of the newcomers coming in and just going for it.â€Â

The Bulldogs will be heading out on the road this weekend to face Nevada, their first Western Athletic Conference opponent.

“We can’t be any more ready. We’re searching for blood,â€Â Leonardo said.