Stanislaus State Athletics

TURLOCK, Calif.--- Fallon Freeman recorded a team-high seven kills, while Lauren Hamilton added six kills and hit .417 as Stan State opened its final four-match homestand of the regular season with a three-set setback to No. 4 Fresno Pacific Friday evening at the Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena. The undefeated Sunbirds defeated the Warriors 25-15, 25-20, 25-14. Ireland Avalos recorded four service aces, eight assists and six digs, while Leah Mendoza finished with nine digs.

Stan State moved to 6-15 overall and 2-8 in CCAA play, while Fresno Pacific improved to 22-0 overall and 10-0 in conference action. The Sunbirds remained undefeated on the season and extended their winning streak to 22 matches.

The Warriors finished with 30 kills, 20 assists, four service aces, 35 digs and two team blocks while hitting .114. Hamilton recorded her six kills on 12 attempts with just one error while adding a solo block. Emily Meyer and Lauren Gonzales each contributed four kills, while Soraya Forbes and Avalos added three apiece. Gonzales finished with eight digs, while Bailey Morrison recorded six assists and four digs. Reagan Wilkerson added four assists and four digs.

Fresno Pacific was led by Makayla Smith with 11 kills, seven digs, four block assists and two service aces. Itzel Aguayo added eight kills while hitting .636 and contributing three block assists. Morgan Castaneda recorded six kills without an error on 10 attempts, while Mikayla Weiss finished with six kills while hitting .667 and directing the offense with 31 assists. Devyn Castaneda led the Sunbirds with 14 digs, while Madelyn Feramisco added 11. Fresno Pacific hit .330 with 42 kills, six service aces, 46 digs and eight team blocks.

First Set
Fresno Pacific jumped out to a 7-2 lead before Avalos recorded a kill to bring the Warriors within 7-3. The Sunbirds extended their advantage to 11-4 before Forbes recorded a kill to make it 11-5. Fresno Pacific continued its offensive attack and built a 16-5 advantage before Hamilton ended the run with a kill.

The Sunbirds extended their lead to 22-10 before Stan State responded with five consecutive points. Freeman started the rally with a kill before Avalos recorded two service aces and joined Forbes and Olson on a block that helped bring the Warriors within 22-15. Fresno Pacific scored the final three points to capture the opening set 25-15. Stan State hit .212 with 11 kills in the frame, while the Sunbirds hit .400 with 16 kills.

Second Set
Stan State battled Fresno Pacific throughout the second set, which featured eight ties and six lead changes. The Warriors took an early 2-1 lead on a Wilkerson kill before the Sunbirds answered with four consecutive points to move ahead 5-2. Stan State rallied to tie the score at 7-7 behind kills from Gonzales, Olson and Meyer before taking an 8-7 advantage on another Meyer kill.

The teams continued to exchange points before the Warriors built an 11-10 lead following consecutive Fresno Pacific attack errors. The Sunbirds regained a 13-11 advantage, but Stan State battled back and tied the set at 16-16 on another Fresno Pacific attack error. Fresno Pacific responded with five consecutive points to take a 21-16 lead. Hamilton recorded a kill to stop the run, and the Warriors later pulled within 23-20 on a Freeman kill. The Sunbirds scored the final two points to take the set 25-20 and a 2-0 lead in the match. Stan State recorded 12 kills in the frame.

Third Set
Stan State opened the third set with a Freeman kill before Fresno Pacific scored four of the next five points to take a 4-2 lead. The Warriors rallied to tie the score at 5-5 behind a Hamilton solo block and a Freeman kill, but the Sunbirds responded with four consecutive points to move ahead 9-5.

Avalos recorded a service ace to bring Stan State within 9-7 before the Sunbirds extended their advantage to 12-9. Fresno Pacific later built a 16-10 lead behind a Smith service ace. Hoffman recorded a kill to make it 16-11 before the Sunbirds extended their lead to 20-12. Gonzales and Hamilton added kills down the stretch, but Fresno Pacific scored the final four points to secure the set 25-14 and complete the three-set victory. The Sunbirds hit .375 in the final frame while holding Stan State to a .000 hitting percentage.

Warrior Notables

• Freeman led Stan State with seven kills.
• Hamilton recorded six kills while hitting .417 and added one solo block.
• Avalos finished with four service aces, eight assists, six digs and three kills.
• Mendoza led the Warriors with nine digs and added two assists.
• Stan State finished with 30 kills, four service aces, 35 digs and two team blocks.

CCAA Standings
Following Friday evening's matches, No. 4 Fresno Pacific continues to lead the CCAA standings with a perfect 10-0 conference record (22-0 overall), followed by No. 8 Cal State San Bernardino at 9-1 (20-2). Both teams have secured berths in the 2026 CCAA Volleyball Tournament. Cal Poly Pomona is third at 8-2, followed by Cal State LA at 7-3. San Francisco State and Cal State East Bay are tied for fifth at 6-4, while Cal State San Marcos is seventh at 5-5. Menlo follows at 5-6, Cal Poly Humboldt is 4-6 and Cal State Monterey Bay is 4-7. Chico State, Stan State and UC Merced are tied at 2-8, while Cal State Dominguez Hills is 1-9. The top seven teams in the final conference standings will qualify for the CCAA Volleyball Tournament, beginning Nov. 10.

Up Next
Stan State (6-15, 2-8 CCAA) continues its final four-match home-stand of the regular season on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, when the Warriors host Central Valley rival UC Merced at 5 p.m. at the Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena. The Bobcats (5-16, 2-8 CCAA) are coming off a three-set loss at Chico State on Thursday evening. Saturday's match will be streamed live on FloCollege, with Levi Flores and Marie Stucker providing the play-by-play and analysis.
The Warriors will conclude the regular season next weekend with two more home matches, hosting No. 8 Cal State San Bernardino on Friday, Nov. 6, at 5 p.m. before facing Cal State San Marcos on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m. for Senior Day. Prior to Saturday's match, Stan State will recognize five seniors: Lauren Hamilton, Irene London, Leah Mendoza, Emily Meyer and Maggie Olson.