Pacific Misses Out On The Upset Of No. 18 Duke With A 3-1 Loss

Final	1	2	3	4	5	T
Duke (4-0)	26	15	25	25		3
Pacific (3-1)	24	25	19	11		1

Duke	Pacific
K: Jeme Obeime - 15 B: 2 Players (#9, #11 - 3) D: Ali McCurdy - 20 SA: 2 Players (#2, #5 - 2)	K: 2 Players (#2, #22 - 13) B: Jennifer Sanders - 5 D: Rebekah Torres - 18 SA: N/A

TEAM STATISTICS	Duke	Pacific
Hitting %	.278	.267
Blocks	6.0	9.5
Digs	73	49
Aces	7	0

full stats

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Stockton, Calif. – Playing at home for the first time in 2011, the Pacific women's volleyball team missed out on the upset of No. 18 Duke, falling 3-1 on Thursday, September 1.  The loss was the first of the season for the Tigers as they fell to 3-1 while the Blue Devils improved to 4-0.

Game scores for the match were: 26-24, 15-25, 25-19, 25-11.

Looking like the faster team for much of the night, the Tigers weren't able to keep up their frantic pace against the bigger Blue Devils as Duke used the extended break between games two and three to regroup and take control of the match.  After splitting the first two games, the Blue Devils were able to use their defensive skills along the back line to slow Pacific's attack over the final two games of play and take the match in four games.

For the Tigers, the first two games of the night showed Pacific's offensive prowess as offense hit an impressive .358 against the top-20 ranked Blue Devils, including an impressive .429 in game two alone to swing the momentum in their favor.  The sudden flip in momentum was needed for Pacific after the team dropped the opening game to Duke in extra points as the Blue Devils capitalized on the Tigers mistakes at the service line to steal the opening game win.

As suddenly as the Tigers took the momentum with the game two win the Blue Devils took it back out of the break as Duke stormed back to grab game three.  Making the needed adjustments in the locker room, the Blue Devils were able to hit .375 in game three to send the Tigers to the brink in game four.  With Duke rolling, the Tigers could not slow the Blue Devil attack in what would be the final game of the night as a constant attack combined with mistakes at the net by the Tigers led to the match win for Duke.

Overall, Pacific got a strong effort out of sophomore Jennifer Sanders who led the team in kills with 13.  The sophomore middle did not commit her first error at the net until the third game of play as she finished the night hitting. 393 (13 kills, two errors, 28 attacks).  Tying Sanders for the team lead was the senior, Samantha Misa, who posted 13 kills in 42 swings with five errors.  Two other Tigers hit double figures as freshman Hanna Levanen added 12 while sophomore Megan Birch posted 10 kills and just one error in 23 attacks.

For the Blue Devils, the freshman Jeme Obeime led all attackers with a match-high 15 kills.  She posted a .387 hitting percentage as she committed just three errors on 31 attacks.  Sophia Dunworth finished just behind her freshman as she added 12 kills on 25 swings to round out the scoring.  Kellie Catanach, the Blue Devils' all-american setter, finished the match with a double-double as she posted 46 assists and 15 digs in the match.

The Tigers will be back in action on Friday, September 2, when they host the 33^rd Annual Community Bankers Classic at the Alex G. Spanos Center.  Joining the Tigers in the tournament is Army, Duquesne and Mississippi State.  The tournament kicks off at 5:00 pm with the Tigers playing at 7:00 pm against Mississippi State.