Sept. 8, 2006

Box Score

Ann Arbor, Calif. - Despite a career-high 21 kills from both junior Johanna Hilbers (Omaha, Neb.) and sophomore Alexa Anderson (Los Gatos, Calif.), the Pacific women's volleyball team dropped a 3-1 contest to Virginia in the opening match for Pacific at the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge on Friday, Sept. 8.

Game scores for the match were 30-26, 24-30, 30-27, 30-27.

The loss dropped the Tigers to 1-5 on the season, while Virginia moved to 6-1. Trailing early in the first game, 8-4, the Tigers scored five of the next six points. Freshman Masha Vaysburg (Livermore, Calif.) started the Pacific rally with her first kill of the match. Freshman Dancyne Kama (Hilo, Hawaii) followed with a perfectly placed serve for an ace to make it 8-6. After the two teams traded service errors, Pacific forced back-to-back attacking errors by the Cavaliers to tie the contest at 9-9. The game remained close throughout the middle of game one. The turning point came with the Tigers leading 17-16 as Virginia scored four consecutive points, including two on floating service aces to take a 20-17 edge. The Cavs went on to take game one 30-26.

The Tigers delivered one of their best performances of the season in game two, posting a season-high .327 hitting percentage. Virginia didn't roll over for Pacific as the Cavs forced 15 ties in game two, including the last one at 23-23. The Tigers took control of game two with four straight points as Vaysburg, Anderson and senior Jennifer Knox (Macungie, Pa.) sandwiched kills around a Virginia error to lift the Tigers to a 27-23 lead. Pacific went on to even the match with a 30-24 win in game two.

Despite falling behind 6-1 in the opening moments of game three, the Tigers battled back to hold a two-point advantage at 20-18. Hilbers carried Pacific in the third game as she slammed down six of her career-high 21 kills in the game on just eight swings, without committing an error. For the third time in as many games, the outcome was decided in the closing points. Tied at 26-26, the Tigers committed three costly errors to fall behind 29-26. Virginia went on to take the game, 30-27.

Game four was a mirror for the match as a whole, with the two teams battling back and forth. Tied at 9-9, the Tigers appeared to take control with seven consecutive points, to build a 16-9 lead. The Tigers began their rally with kills from Anderson and Hilbers, then forced four Virginia errors over the next five points.

The Cavs, though, did not roll over as Virginia claimed 12 of the next 17 points to tie the game at 21-21. Moments later with the game tied again, this time at 26-26, Virginia sandwiched two kills around a Pacific error to take a 29-26 advantage. The Cavs went on to claim the match 30-27.

Hilbers and Anderson led the Tigers as each set a new career-high with 21 kills, while sophomore Natalia Tomaszewska (Marklowice, Poland) recorded her first career double-double with 11 kills and 20 digs.

Virginia's Emily Kirkwood led all attackers with 26 kills and 20 digs.

Pacific will be back in action later today as the Tiger face Marquette at 2 p.m. (PT) in the second match of the day for both teams at the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge. In the first game of the tournament, Michigan defeated Marquette, 3-0.