Sept. 5, 2008

Box Score

Corvallis, Ore. - In a rematch of a five-set thriller from 2007, the Pacific women's volleyball suffered a 3-2 loss to Oregon State in each team's first match at the Oregon State / Asics Classic on Friday, Sept. 5.

Set scores for the match were: 22-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-23, 15-10.

The loss dropped the Tigers to 0-3 on the season, while Oregon State moved to 5-0.

In a virtual replay of the match between the Tigers and Beavers played in Stockton, Calif. in 2007, Pacific and Oregon State settled nothing after four sets. Last year, the Tigers took the match with a 15-13 win in the fifth set, this time Oregon State exacted a measure of revenge with a 15-10 win.

The Tigers got off to a fast start by taking the first set, 25-22. Featuring 16 ties and seven lead changes, the first game was a sampling of the overall match. One of the key stretches of the set came with the Tigers trailing 11-8. Sophomore Svenja Engelhardt (Sinsheim, Germany) rallied the team behind a cross court kill. Engelhardt followed with two service aces over the next three points as Pacific scored five straight to take a 13-11 lead.

The set remained close throughout, reaching the 16th tie at 22-22. A dump attack from senior Shannon Krug (Colorado Springs, Colo.) pushed Pacific out in front, then Engelhardt and senior Alexa Anderson (Los Gatos, Calif.) closed the door with back-to-back kills from the pins. The Tigers posted their best single set hitting percentage of the season in the first frame, delivering 17 kills and six errors on 38 swings for a .289 mark.

Oregon State responded right away in the second set, scoring the first five points. The Beavers never looked back and Pacific got no closer than four points the rest of the way, dropping set two, 25-18.

Following the break, Pacific returned to the floor composed and flipped the script on Oregon State by jumping out to a 6-1 advantage. Anderson led this charge, notching two kills during the run. After Oregon State rallied to within one at 6-5, the Tigers regained control of the set with nine of the next 11 points. Junior Mallori Gibson (Bakersfield, Calif.) gave Pacific its swagger back with back-to-back kills to open the flood gates. The Tigers went on to take the set, 25-19.

Offensive execution and defensive pressure highlighted the set as Pacific hit .281 (12 kills and just three errors on 32 attempts), while the Tigers held Oregon State to a .000 mark allowing eight kills and forcing eight errors.

The fourth set saw Pacific leap out to another quick 5-1 lead behind two kills from Anderson. This time, however, Oregon State was able to battle all the way back to tie the set at 12-12. The Beavers' rally continued as Oregon State took a 15-12 lead into the media timeout. Oregon State seemed poised to push the match to a fifth set at 24-20, but the Tigers weren't ready to lie down. A cross-court kill from Anderson made it 24-21, then consecutive kills from Gibson and a slam of an overpass by junior Masha Vaysburg (Livermore, Calif,) pulled Pacific within a point at 24-23. The tenuous lead, prompted Oregon State to call its final time out. The delay halted the Tigers momentum as a Pacific service error forced the match into a fifth and deciding set.

With new life, the Beavers rallied around the support of their home crowd and burst out to a 4-1 lead. Pacific simply could not recover, getting only as close as two points as Oregon State took the match, 15-10. The Beavers hit .350 in the fifth set, posting eight kills and only one error on 20 swings. The Tigers, meanwhile, slammed down nine kills, but committed six errors on 26 attempts (.115).

Gibson led all attackers with 23 kills and recorded her first career double-double with a career-high 14 digs. Two other Tigers posted double-doubles as Engelhardt had 15 kills, 15 digs and five aces, while Krug finished with 53 assists and 11 digs.

Jill Sawatzky led Oregon State with 18 kills and 12 digs, while Lauren Reinderknecht has eight kills and nine blocks.

Pacific returns to the court on Saturday, Sept. 6 as the Tigers battle Pepperdine at 5 p.m. in Oregon State's Gill Coliseum.