STOCKTON, Calif. - The University of the Pacific volleyball team has been invited to participate in the National Intercollegiate Volleyball Championship hosted by Triple Crown Sports. The Tigers along with 30 other teams are participating in the fourth annual NIVC. The 2021 NIVC features Round 1 and 2 action from Dec. 2-5, with Round 3 scheduled for Dec. 6-8. The semifinals will be held Dec. 8-10, and the championship match be played Dec. 13 or 14. There were nine automatic qualifiers including Pacific and 22 at-large qualifiers. Pacific is the lone team from the WCC in the NIVC; whereas, BYU, Pepperdine and San Diego will be competing in the NCAA Tournament.
 
MATCH DETAILS:
Teams:  Portland State (19-10) vs. Pacific (13-16) 
Date: Friday, Dec. 3
Time: 2 p.m. (PT)
Location: Ogden, Utah | Weber State University | Reed K. Swenson Gym
Live Stats: https://weberstatesports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/media
Live Video: https://es.pn/2ZNtieh

Portland State Quick Facts
• Location: Portland, Ore.
• Nickname: Vikings
• Head Coach: Michael Seemann

NIVC History
This marks Pacific second appearance in the NIVC as the Tigers participated in the inaugural tournament in 2017. Pacific won its opening round matchup against Boise State in straight sets, 25-15, 25-21, 25-16. The Tigers advanced to the second round, losing to UC Irvine in five. The WCC has a rich history in the NIVC with four-straight first round wins. 

Post-Season History
The Tigers have made 24 NCAA appearances, seven Final Fours and won two NCAA titles (1985-86) 

Last Time Out
Santa Clara secured the come-from-behind win over host Pacific on Nov. 23 at the Alex G. Spanos Center. The Broncos (12-15, 8-9 WCC) bounced back after a first set loss to win the next three sets to defeat the Tigers (13-16, 10-8 WCC) 17-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-20.
 
Previous Meeting
Dating back to 2006, this is the fifth meeting in the series history between Pacific and Portland State. The two teams have split the previous four meetings. Portland State won the last meeting on Sept. 7, 2013 in five as they outlasted the Tigers, 25-18, 25-15, 24-26, 24-26, 17-15.
 
Post-Season Honors
The Tigers had five players earn post-season honors from the West Coast Conference. Among the honorees were Jadyn Tubbs and Alexa Edwards, who were selected to the first team, Darina Kumanova and Ramonni Cook were chosen second team and Jenna Heller was named to the All-Freshman Team. Tubbs was also selected as the program's first ever conference Libero of the Year.

NCAA Rankings
Alexa Edwards
 - 58th in Total Attacks (1,158)
 - 66th in Attacks per Set (10.82)
 - 77h in Total Kills (397)
 - 95th in Kills per Set (3.71)

Jenna Heller 
 - 60th in Service Aces (40)
 - 76th in Aces per Set (0.39)

Jadyn Tubbs
- 80th in Digs (470)

Taking Down the Best
For the first time since 2009, Pacific has defeated two nationally-ranked teams - San Diego (Nov. 20) and Pepperdine (Oct. 7) on the season.

Seeing Double
Freshman Jenna Heller leads the Tigers with 12 double double performances; plus, sophomore Alexa Edwards has had 10.

Ace
Senior Jadyn Tubbs has served up a service ace in 11 of the last 13 matches for the Tigers. She had three service aces in the Tigers' last match vs. Santa Clara.

Bring the Hammer
The Tigers posted a .380 hitting percentage against Gonzaga on Oct. 28 – the highest by a Pacific squad since Aug. 30, 2019, against Montana. Its highest against a conference team since a .402 clip against Portland on Nov. 10, 2018. Earlier this season, in the five-set win over Pepperdine (Oct. 7), the Tigers put down a season-high 67 kills. The 67 kills are the most since a 71-kill effort against Santa Clark on Feb. 23, 2021.

One-Two Set Punch Setters
Jenna Heller and Gabby Leo have provided a solid one-two punch from the setter position. Against WCC foes, Heller has 309 assists (5.07), and Leo has 286 (5.02) assists, respectively. For the season, Heller has 583 assists and Leo has 446. The Tigers are second in the conference with 1,218 assists. 

Kumanova Earns Weekly Honor from AVSR
Sophomore Darina Kumanova was named the AVSR Global Player of the Week for her efforts, earlier this season. Kumanova was instrumental in the Tigers' win over nationally-ranked Pepperdine and a heartbreaking five-set loss to Loyola Marymount. In the win over Pepperdine, she had a double double with 12 kills and 13 digs. She delivered the game-winning kill against the Waves in the fifth and deciding set. Against Loyola Marymount, Kumanova posted 13 kills and eight digs in the loss. Past Pacific honorees include Svenja Engelhardt in 2010 en route to being named the AVSR Player of the Year. Engelhardt was a three-time honoree and former Tiger Natalia Tomaszewska received recognition in 2008.

Single Digits
Pacific had just eight hitting errors to go along with 31 kills in the straight-set win over Portland (Sept. 30). The last time that Pacific had single-digit hitting errors was in a nine-error effort against Portland (Nov. 10, 2018). Pacific has had single-digit hitting errors on three occasions since 2015. The last time that they had eight was against Little Rock on August 29, 2014.

Block Party
The Tigers are averaging 1.58 blocks per set including a season-high 12 blocks in the five-set loss to Cal (Sept. 4). The 12 blocks are the most by a Pacific team since a 12 block effort at Portland on October 10, 2019. Kennedy Kaminsky and Alexa Edwards share the team lead with 15 block solos. In 11 matches, most recently against LMU, the Tigers have recorded double-figure block assists. Pacific recorded a season-high 18 against CSUN (Sept. 11). The 18 were the most since a 22-block assist effort against Pepperdine on Nov. 3, 2018.

Home Sweet Home
With the win over USF on Sept. 28, the Tigers have won eight of its last nine conference home openers. Plus, Pacific has now won nine of its last ten meetings at home against the University of San Francisco. The lone blemish came last spring on Feb. 9, 2021. 

All-Tournament Honors
• Ramonni Cook (Elk Grove, Calif.) was named to the Sacramento State All-Tournament Team. Cook averaged 2.67 kills per set and a .197 hitting percentage, plus she also averaged 0.67 blocks. In the Tigers' four-set win over CSUN, she had 10 kills en route to a .304 hitting percentage to go along with four blocks. The night before in a five-set loss to Sacramento State, she had 13 kills and three blocks.
• Alexa Edwards (Sacramento, Calif.), Darina Kumanova (Sofia, Bulgaria) and Jadyn Tubbs (Turlock, Calif.) were named to the Pacific Community Classic All-Tournament Team. Edwards, a sophomore outside hitter from Sacramento, had 50 kills and a .252 hitting percentage to go along with six blocks in the three matches to lead Pacific. She recorded a season-high 21 kills in the five-set loss to Cal. She started the tournament with an 18-kill performance in the straight-set win over Tarleton State.

Kumanova, a sophomore outside hitter from Sofia, Bulgaria, has made an immediate impact after transferring in from UMBC. She had 31 kills and a .194 hitting percentage and a team-best 10 service aces. Kumanova had five service aces in the straight-set win over UC San Diego.

Tubbs, a senior libero from Turlock, had a team-best 56 digs and five service aces in the three matches. All five of her service aces came in the straight-set win over Tarleton State.

Serving Up Aces
Pacific has had double-digit service aces in five matches, most recently against San Diego (Nov. 20). The 12 aces are the most by a Pacific squad since they also had 12 aces against Alabama State on Sept. 7, 2018. Of note, Pacific had 13 service aces against the University of San Francisco on October 21, 2017.

Family Tree
Alexa Edwards (Sacramento, Calif.), Jenna Heller (Gilbert, Ariz.) and Sammie Sublett (Ramona, Calif.) are second generation members of the Tigers. Cathy Lumb-Edwards, the mother of Alexa Edwards,  played for the Tigers from 1980-83 and served as a graduate assistant for Pacific's 1986 national championship team. Heller is the third member of her family to attend Pacific, as her father DJ (1989-90) played baseball while her mother Melanie Beckenhauer-Heller (1988-91) was a two-time All-American on the volleyball team. Sublett's mother, Leona Bielefeld-Sublett (1985-88), was a player on both of the Tigers' 1985 and 1986 national championship teams.
 
Classroom Success
The Tigers' Gabby Leo was named to the West Coast Conference All-Academic Team for a second-straight year for her efforts in the classroom. At the conclusion of each athletic season, the WCC selects an all-academic squad for each WCC-sponsored sport. To be considered, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, while also being a significant contributor to her team.