Oct. 23, 2009

Box Score

Northridge, Calif. - Pacific women's volleyball team fell in five sets to Cal State Northridge, by a score of 3-2. With the loss the Tigers dropped to 15-5 overall and 5-4 in conference play, while the Matadors improved to 7-14 on the season and 3-5 in conference.

The set scores for the match were: 23-25, 25-19, 28-30, 25-20, and 15-17.

During the first set of the match, the Tigers and the Matadors battled through six tie scores. The Tigers were down 19-15 at one point during the set, but were able to rally points to reach the final tie of the game at 23-23. Two kills from Svenja Engelhardt (Sinsheim, Germany), and one from both Mallori Gibson (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Masha Vaysburg (Livermore, Calif.) help close the gap between the two teams. With the score tied at 23-23, the Matadors scored two straight points to take the set 25-23.

With the Tigers trailing 3-1 in the second set, a five point rally put Pacific out in front by a score of 6-3. A kill from Gibson, a block by Natalia Tomaszewska (Marklowise, Poland) and Rebekah Torres (Wahiawa, Hawaii), and a service ace by Dancyne Kama (Hilo, Hawaii) pushed the Tigers to rally ahead of Northridge. With the Tigers still leading at 19-14, Engelhardt racked another kill, which followed by a Matador error to increase the lead to seven, at 21-14. Pacific would keep the lead and a kill by Gibson at 24-19, finished the second set for the Tigers as they won 25-19.

The two teams continued to battle back and forth throughout much of the third set, as there were 15 tie scores, including tied scores at 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28. With the Matadors leading 24-23, Vaysburg recorded an important kill for the Tigers, as it knotted the score at 24-24. After Northridge took a 25-24 lead, a kill from Gibson helped the Tigers continue to battle, evening the score at 25-25. Torres racked a kill at 26-25, to keep the Tigers alive at 26-26. Trailing 27-26, Engelhardt recorded two back-to-back kills to push the Tigers out in front 28-27. But the Tigers could not score the game point, and Northridge would take the third set 30-28.

Trailing 9-8 in the fourth set, two kills from Gibson followed by a Northridge error, gave the Tigers a 11-9 lead. At 16-13, Pacific further boosted their lead with a four point rally, taking the score to 20-13. Gibson recorded another kill at 21-17, to bring the Tigers lead to five, at 22-17. Vaysburg brought the Tigers to game point with a kill at 23-18, and Torres finished the set with a kill for the Tigers, as they won 25-20, forcing a decisive fifth set.

Knotted up at two, the Tigers tallied four straight points, including a service ace by Olivia Riley (Agua Dulce, Calif.), gave Pacific a 6-2 lead. Later in the set, with the Tigers trailing 14-12, Vaysburg recorded a kill for one of the two points which tied the set up at 14-14. Down 15-14, Gibson evened the score at 15-15, but that would be the last Pacific point, as the Matadors took the set 17-15 and the match 3-2.

Gibson led the Tigers with a match-high 21 kills, while Riley had 49 assists and 17 digs. Brittany Williams of Cal State Northridge recorded 20 kills.

The Tigers will be back in action on Oct. 27 at Sacramento State for a 7:00pm start time.