Long Beach, Calif. - Taking on a pair of former Big West foes, the Tigers came away with a split on the sand as they fell to No. 5 Long Beach State, 5-0, before sweeping Cal State Northridge, 5-0, to end the day. For both sides, the meetings marked the first time in program history the teams met on the sand as Pacific made its way down south for three matches having started against LMU the day prior.
at #5 Long Beach State
Taking on their second ranked team in as many matches, the Tigers could not get past the 49ers on their home courts as Long Beach State became the first team to take down all five of Pacific's pairs. After a perfect start to their careers, the freshmen team of Taylor Poncetta and Andie Shelton suffered their first defeat of the year when Rachel Nieto and Sammee Thomas won the No. 5 pairing, 21-16, 21-19. From there, the Tigers did not fair much better as the 49ers were able to sweep three of the next four matches to take the victory. For the Tigers, the team of Mia Feiner and Gillian Howard were the lone team to grab a set off of the 49ers as the veteran pair got out in front at No. 3 with a 21-14 win to start the morning, but saw Bre Mackie and Jenelle Hudson mount a comeback to steal the win in three sets.
#5 Long Beach State, #8 Pacific 0
March 12, 2015 - Long Beach State, Calif.
1. Delainey Aigner-Swesey/Chelsea Cabrajac (LBSU) def. Lexi Elman/Kat Schulz (PAC) 21-9, 21-19
2. Tyler Jackson/Anete Brinke (LBSU) def. Megan Birch/Anne-Sophie Bauer (PAC) 21-6, 21-17
3. Bre Mackie/Jenelle Hudson (LBSU) def. Mia Feiner/Gillian Howard (PAC) 14-21, 21-9, 15-12
4. Andrea McHugh/Ciana Wagner (LBSU) def. Alicja Wilk/Kimmy Whitson (PAC) 21-13, 21-14
5. Rachel Nieto/Sammee Thomas (LBSU) def. Taylor Poncetta/Andie Shelton (PAC) 21-16, 21-19
Order of finish: 4,5,3,2,1
vs Cal State Northridge
With the morning session finished, the Tigers set their sights on the new team of Cal State Northridge as they looked to right the ship after a pair of tough losses. Facing a Matador team that was coming off of its first win in program history, the Tigers made short work of their old conference foe as Pacific earned its second 5-0 sweep of the season, adding Cal State Northridge into the category with Stanford from a week prior.
Getting back on track, the Tigers' No. 4 and No. 5 pairings put Pacific in firm control of the match in the opening contests of the afternoon as the veteran team of Alicja Wilk and Kimmy Whitson picked up their first win of the weekend with a win over Cieana Stinson and Stephanie Serna. In the match, Wilk led the way offensively as she netted 13 kills and added four aces to give the Tigers the win. Right behind the duo, Poncetta and Shelton rebounded from their first career defeat with an easy win at No. 5. With Shelton setting up Poncetta, the Tigers cruised as Poncetta grabbed 13 kills and a block while adding a pair of aces for good measure.
With the match in hand, the Tigers put the day away at No. 3 with Feiner and Howard winning Pacific's most lopsided victory of the day over Julie Haake and Nicolette Pinkney for the clinching point. Flexing her muscle against the over matched Matadors, Howard had a field day on the sand as the indoor all-american posted 14 kills, three blocks, and seven aces to lead the Tigers to the win.
Having already secured the overall victory, the Tigers top two teams hit the court playing for redemption as Megan Birch and Anne-Sophie Bauer won at No. 2 with relative ease while Pacific's top pair of Lexi Elman and Kat Schulz were forced to scrap and fight for their win at No. 1. In all three sets at No. 1 extra points were needed with the Tigers persevering for the victory. Served throughout the match and taking 53 swings, Elman made the Matdors pay as she drilled them for 27 kills while adding one block and two aces to secure the 5-0 sweep.
#8 Pacific 5, Cal State Northridge 0
March 12, 2015 - Long Beach State, Calif.
1. Lexi Elman/Kat Schulz (PAC) def. Casey Hinger/Kelcie Randazzo (CSUN) 22-20, 26-28, 16-14
2. Megan Birch/Anne-Sophie Bauer (PAC) def. Mahina Haina/Katie Sato (CSUN) 21-14, 21-19
3. Mia Feiner/Gillian Howard (PAC) def. Julie Haake/Nicolette Pinkney (CSUN) 21-12, 21-15
4. Alicja Wilk/Kimmy Whitson (PAC) def. Cieana Stinson/Stephanie Serna (CSUN) 21-11, 21-19
5. Taylor Poncetta/Andie Shelton (PAC) def. Nada Dragovic/Alia Casino (CSUN) 21-16, 21-15
Order of finish: 4,5,3,2,1
