Top-ranked Fresno Pacific's bid for an unbeaten volleyball season remained alive with a sweep of No. 4 Concordia Saturday at the Special Events Center.
The defending NAIA champion Sunbirds dominated the Eagles 3-0 for the second time this season in a Golden State Athletic Conference match.
Martina Gregusova paced Fresno Pacific (27-0, 16-0) with 12 kills in the 25-20, 25-20, 25-19 victory.
"We came out on fire, got on top of them and were able to stay in control," Sunbirds coach Dennis Janzen said.
Erika Adachi had 19 assists and Mariah Mandelbaum 19 digs, as the Sunbirds limited the Eagles (24-5, 11-5) to a .126 hitting percentage and forced 30 errors.
Stephanie Darnall had 12 kills for the visitors, but few other Eagles did much offensively as Fresno Pacific's Lauren Albertson had five blocks and Michelle Johnson three with 10 kills.
In September, the Sunbirds traveled to Irvine and trounced Concordia 25-18, 25-22, 25-18 when it was ranked second.
The road to perfection will get bumpier this week when Fresno Pacific takes on No. 5 Azusa Pacific on Tuesday at home and No. 2 California Baptist on Saturday in Riverside.
In the first round of GSAC play, the Sunbirds beat Azusa Pacific 3-1 and escaped with a 3-2 victory against Cal Baptist at the Special Events Center.
"This is the kind of schedule that prepares us for the postseason," Janzen said. "I'm looking forward to it and the kids, too. They're eager to play."
Despite the team's No. 1 status, Janzen and his staff continue to make improvements in the game plan.
"We're still trying to get better and develop team dynamic," he said. "We've put in quite a bit more offense the second round and that maintains interest."
Bulldogs top Spartans
Fresno State ended a three-game losing streak, beating San Jose State for the first time since 2005 in a 27-29, 25-21, 25-20, 25-19 Western Athletic Conference victory at the Save Mart Center.
Sophomore middle blocker Kelli Parker had a career-high 17 kills and senior teammate Allanah Munson distributed 29 assists for the Bulldogs (12-11, 5-6).
The Bulldogs limited the Spartans to a .140 attack efficiency. San Jose State (1-20, 1-9) committing 24 errors on 143 attacks.
Fresno State led the Spartans in every offensive category, including 11 aces.
Four of the aces came from Parker, formerly of Lemoore High and a basketball transfer from Cal.
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