Stockton, Calif. - Breaking up their three-game skid, the Tigers' sand team got back on track with a 5-0 sweep of Cal Poly at Raney Courts on Friday, April 3. The win improved the Tigers' record to 8-5 on the year while the Mustangs fell to 0-6 on the 2015 season. The win was the Tigers second all-time against the Mustangs after beating Cal Poly, 4-1, in Stockton last season.

With a new look to their lineup for the first time this season, the Tigers were at ease at home as they ran away with the match after getting off to a fast start. With the familiar team of freshmen at No. 5, Pacific dominated the first match in the book as Taylor Poncetta and Andie Shelton won 21-9, 21-12. Early on, Poncetta and Shelton found themselves locked in a tight match, but a closing run of 10-2 gave the freshmen a comfortable win. They would take the momentum into the second set where a quick start led to an even bigger finish for the final set to open the match.

Finishing shortly behind the freshmen, the new team of Megan Birch and Maycie LaBass took quickly to playing with one another and they came up with an easy two set victory to put Pacific up two matches to none. Close early, the fresh pair were able to slowly pull away for the comfortable victories as they played two nearly identical sets in the match.

Looking to put the match away with out having to worry about the top matches, the pair of Kimmy Whitson and Alicja Wilk came up with the Tigers' third easy victory, this time at No. 3 as the duo played in the middle spot for the first time this season. Just as Birch and LaBass did, Whitson and Wilk built an early lead in both of their sets before pulling away for the overall match clinching victory.

With the match in hand, the Tigers  turned to their new top two pairs to seal the sweep as Mia Feiner and Gillian Howard picked up Pacific's fourth 2-0 sweep of the evening while Lexi Elman and Anne-Sophie Bauer were forced to work for their first victory as partners. For Feiner and Howard, the first set was a come-from-behind steal as they won the final four points of the set to claim the victory. After stealing the momentum, the duo made short work of their opponents in the final set to make it a clean sweep at No.2.

Playing at the top spot, Elman and Bauer found themselves in a battle as they held on in extra points to take the first set of the day before falling in set two. Forced into a third and decisive set, the duo bunkered down and persevered to capture the final set of the match. Jumping out front early, Elman and Bauer did not let the Mustangs back into the set, burying the opposition for the victory.

The Tigers are back in action on Saturday, April 4 when they head to Sacramento State to take part in the Hornets' second sand tournament of the year. Pacific starts the tournament with a match against the host Hornets at 10:00 am folowed by a match against San Francisco at 1:00 pm.

Pacific  5 - Cal Poly 0
Raney Courts (Stockton, Calif.)
April 3, 2015

1) Lexi Elman/Anne-Sophie Bauer (PAC) def. Taylor Nelson/Raeann Greisen (CP); 23-21, 15-21, 15-9
2) Mia Feiner/Gillian Howard (PAC def. Nicole Kessler/Caihla Petiprin (CP); 21-17, 21-13
3) Kimmy Whitson/Alijca Wilk (PAC) def. Anna Gorman/Taylor Gruenewald (CP); 21-15, 21-13
4) Megan Birch/Maycie LaBass (PAC) def. Katie Conroy/Hannah Schleis (CP); 21-13, 21-12
5) Taylor Poncetta/Andie Shelton (PAC) def. Casey Carroll/Shannon Fouts (CP); 21-9, 21-12
Exh) Savannah Niemen/Bailey Roach (CP) def. Katrin Gotterba/Maycie LaBass (PAC); 22-20, 21-14

Order of finish: 5,4,3,2,1