Tuesday, November 1, 2005
Sunbirds sweep Vanguard; now 27-0

Box score (30-19, 30-9, 30-25)

Costa Mesa - The Fresno Pacific University Sunbirds needed only 69 minutes to sweep the host Vanguard University Lions 30-19, 30-9, 30-25 in Golden State Athletic Conference action tonight in "The Pit" in Costa Mesa.

Brittany Pierce (13 kills) and Lira Xavier (10 kills, 14 digs led the Sunbirds, now 27-0 overall and 17-0 in GSAC play.

Setter Shu Liu directed chalked up another fine performance with 42 assists, seven kills, nine digs and three blocks.

Samantha Weatherly, who was named the Libero of the Week for her role in two FPU wins last week, lead all back line players with 24 digs,. Gera Bahr chipped in with 12 digs.

Michal Shortridge led the Lions (20-9, 7-9 GSAC) with six kills. Three other players followed with five kills each. Keri Dehaas had 17 digs.

The Sunbirds will be in Santa Barbara on Saturday to face the Westmont College Warriors. The first ball will be served at 3:00 p.m.

Updated Records
Vanguard: 20-9, 7-9 GSAC)
Fresno Pacific: 27-0, 17-0 GSAC

Updated Series
FPU now leads the all-time series with the Lions 51-4... The Sunbirds have won the last 29 matches... The Lions last win came on October 15, 1993 in Costa Mesa when FPU head coach Dennis Janzen was on a study leave and the team was coached by Steve Burmaster.

Fresno Pacific University offers undergraduate and graduate programs that stress solid academic preparation and a strong ethical foundation. Each year more than 2,000 traditional and adult students attend classes on the 42-acre main campus in southeast Fresno or centers in Visalia and Bakersfield. The university also reaches 12,000 students across the nation and around the world through professional development studies programs. The only four-year Christian university in the Central Valley, FPU is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and ranked in the top quarter among Western universities master's category by U.S. News & World Report.