FRESNO, Calif. – Dominican women's volleyball fell 3-2 (25-21, 19-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-8) Wednesday night to Fresno Pacific at the Special Events Center.

Freshman middle blocker Edee Leslie led the Penguins (2-22, 2-17 PacWest) with 13 kills and five blocks. Junior outside hitter Catherine Johnson added 11 kills, while junior libero Hana Wyles finished with a match-high 34 digs. 

Corinne Acosta led the Sunbirds (5-23, 4-15 PacWest) with a double-double of 21 kills and 28 digs, while teammate Makena Ogas added 22 kills on the night. Fresno Pacific finished with a .211 hitting percentage, while holding Dominican to a .178 hitting percentage.

The teams opened the match trading points until Kiana Pelton sparked a 3-point run with a kill to give the Penguins an 11-7 lead. Dominican continued to hold the lead until a pair of errors opened the door for the Sunbirds and Ogas capped a 4-0 run with a kill to tie the set at 16-16. Acosta then led a late 3-point run for FPU with a kill and an ace to take the lead it needed to finish out the 25-21 victory.

The second set mirrored the beginning of the match as the teams traded points early until Eleni Loizou started a run with a kill and Leslie added two more to give the Penguins the 15-12 lead. The lead stayed the same for much of the remainder of the set until a spell of cold hitting by the Sunbirds powered a set ending 5-0 run for Dominican to tie the match at a set each.

Samantha Brown created separation early in the third set for the Penguins as she found the floor for three consecutive aces to give them the 9-5 lead. Pelton then sparked a 5-point run with a kill and Rebecca Smith added two more service aces for Dominican to extend the lead to nine. It was all the room the Penguins needed as they went on to win the set 25-21.

The first half of the fourth set remained a tight contest between the two teams with Ogas giving the Sunbirds a narrow 15-13 lead after collecting a solo block and putting down a kill in a 3-0 run. Acosta then extended the lead to 23-17 for FPU late with four kills. Dominican attempted to close the gap as Leslie found the floor on a kill to cut the lead to three, but the Penguins were unable to get any closer as the match headed to a fifth set.

After Leslie went up for a solo block to give Dominican the 6-5 lead, Ogas powered a 4-0 run to give the Sunbirds a three-point advantage. The Penguins were unable to overcome the lead and Acosta ended the match with three kills on the final four points for FPU.

Dominican will return to the court Saturday as it travels to take on rival Holy Names at 5 p.m. PST at Tobin Gymnasium. Live stats and video will be available online.