Underdogs beat the Bulldogs

NAIA powerhouse Fresno Pacific wins in three

Staff Reports
The Collegian

The Bulldogs got quite an introduction back in volleyball with the season opener exhibition game against Fresno Pacific Tuesday night.

Fresno State took on the Sunbirds,ranked No. 2 in the country and favored to repeat as NAIA champions, beat the Bulldogs 30-24, 30-28, 30-8.

“I felt like we had to execute perfectly just becauseof physicality, primarily at the net,” Fresno State head coach Ruben Nieves said. “There was a lot of pressure for our offense. They had good blockers.”

The Bulldogs had additional pressure with a capacity crowd at the Special Events Center, which holds 1,550 people. The fans, some painted in school colors blue and orange, got on their feet every time the Sunbirds scored.

“They almost never pull out those bleachers,” said Fresno Pacific junior Chris Smith. “We play Fresno State in basketball every year but this was pretty played up, just because we know we’re going to win. A bunch of us guys just got together and painted ourselves. It definitely boosts morale.”

The crowd erupted as the Sunbirds beat Fresno State in a quick 30-8 win in the third game but it wasn’t that easy for the first two.

Mounia Nihipali had seven kills in the first game to lead all hitters but only had one more for the night.
Fresno Pacific led 10-6 early and the Bulldogs could never quite catch up.

The second game proved to be the most competitive game. After no presence at the net in the first game, the Bulldogs had three straight blocks including a solo block from sophomore Jessica Peterson. Three further points gave Fresno State a 9-6 lead. Fresno Pacific regained the lead at 14-13, but Nihipali added a kill to even the match. The two teams continued to exchange points until the Sunbirds finally took the second game 30-28.

With momentum on the Sunbirds’ side as they scored 12 points before the Bulldogs got on the board. Lack of communication seemed to be the downfall for Fresno State. The Sunbirds take the 29th point with a dump by the setter and a miscommunication spells the end for the Bulldogs in match point.

“We have an inability to control our serving and passing game,” Nieves said. “We have to control that. We have to pass up to the net and get the other team not to do that. We came in thinking quick hitting would be our strength but it’s tough to do against blocks like that.”

Despite the loss, Nieves felt it was good to get such tough competition early.

“We gave them some help there at the end. You never feel good when that happens,” Nieves said. “But we’re improving. We’re getting there.”

Having lost to an NAIA team doesn’t bring down team morale, either said one of the team’s few returnees, Nihipali.

“It was our first game. It showed us what we need to work on,” Nihipali said. “We need to work on communication but we’re playing more as a team. It made us thinkhow hard we should work to get where we need to be. We haven’t played anyone yet so today was a good day.”