Nov. 29, 2008

Box Score

Stockton, Calif. - In spite of a spirited effort, the Pacific women's volleyball team suffered a 3-1 loss to No. 21 Utah in the final of the 30th Annual Community Bankers Classic on Saturday, Nov. 29.

Set scores for the match: 15-25, 25-14, 25-19 and 25-20.

The loss ended Pacific's 2008 season at 12-16, while Utah improved to 24-5 and will be in action next weekend in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers bid farewell to their three seniors in a pre-game ceremony, paying tribute to Kara Uhl (Long Beach, Calif.), Shannon Krug (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Alexa Anderson (Los Gatos, Calf.) as they played their last match of their Pacific careers in the Alex G. Spanos Center.

The emotion of the seniors farewell boosted the Tigers. Taking on one of the top teams in the country, Pacific showed no fear as they shot out of the gate to a 7-3 lead early over the Utes. Lori Baird notched a kill for Utah out of the timeout, but Anderson answered right back for the Tigers as she hammered a kill through the defense for a point. Pacific then rattled off six straight points using kills from junior Masha Vaysburg (Livermore, Calif.), junior Mallori Gibson (Bakersfield, Calif.) and sophomore Svenja Engelhardt (Sinsheim, Germany) to boost their lead. Uhl topped off the rally with a service ace to put the Tigers on top 14-4 in the set.

The teams traded blows for several points until a service error from Gibson made it 19-8, Tiger lead. Pacific scored two of the next three behind kills from senior Natalia Tomaszewska (Markowice, Poland) and Anderson to push the Tigers ahead even more. Two consecutive errors by Pacific made it 21-11 and Anderson brought it back again with a kill to make it 22-11. Utah scored three straight points until once again Anderson buried a swing for the teams 23rd point. An error by Utah gave the Tigers set point, 24-14, and Chelsey Sandberg got a kill to make it 24-15. The Utes ended the set on a service error, and Pacific came away with the first set win, 25-15.

Utah displayed the reason they belong in the NCAA Tournament in the second set as the Utes raised their play with a .538 hitting percentage. Utah slammed down 15 kills and committed just one error on 26 attempts to blow past the Tigers in the second set for a 25-14 win to even the match at 1-1.

With each squad blowing out the other in one of the first two sets, returning to the floor for set number three was a pivotal point in the match. Out to a quick 7-6 lead, Utah took control of the set with five of the next six points to take a 12-7 edge. The Utes extended their lead to seven at 16-9 and refused to allow the Tigers any closer than five at 24-19 the rest of the way, taking the set 25-19.

The fourth and final set saw the Utes use the same tactic as the previous one, blasting away from the Tigers with a run in the middle. Ties at 9-9, Utah scored seven of the next eight points to take a 17-10 lead. This time Pacific chipped away at the lead to get within two at 22-20, but could not climb all the way back, falling 25-20.

Gibson led Pacific with a match-high 16 kills in the loss, while Anderson finished with 11 kills and junior libero Dancyne Kama (Hilo, Hawaii) recorded a match-high 18 digs.

Lori Baird led Utah with a19 kills, while Cinthia Silva finished with eight kills and 12 digs.

Following the match, the 2008 Community Bankers Classic All-Tournament Team was announced. Utah's Baird was named the tournament MVP. Two other members of the Utes joines Baird as Silva and Emillie Toone were members of the team. Anderson and Krug represented Pacific, while Portland's K.C. Fox and Nevada's Kylie Harrington rounded out the 2008 team.

2008 Community Bankers Classic All-Tournament Team
MVP - Alison Baird, Utah
Cinthia Silva, Utah
Emillie Toone, Utah
Alexa Anderson, Pacific
Shannon Krug, Pacific
K.C. Fox, Portland
Kylie Harrington, Nevada