STOCKTON, Calif. – Led by a balanced offensive attack, the Pacific volleyball team earned a five-set win over #12 BYU, 25-21, 17-25, 25-22, 10-25, 15-10 Saturday afternoon at the Alex G. Spanos Center. The five-set thriller was a highlight event for Pacific Homecoming & Family Weekend, where former players from the program's nine final four teams returned to campus.
With the win, the Tigers (11-9, 3-5) ended a 16-match drought against the Cougars (14-4, 7-1) and recorded their first win in the series since both teams joined the conference in 2013.
The win over the nationally ranked Cougars continues a trend the program started last season, knocking off two nationally ranked conference opponents at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Last season, Pacific bested both Pepperdine and San Diego when both teams were ranked in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top-25 Poll.
"This was such a great team effort," Head Coach
Greg Gibbons stated after the upset win. "No matter what role someone received today, they went in and did their job."
The Tigers accumulated 57 kills during the five-set affair, the 11th time this season the team reached 50 kills in a match.
Alexa Edwards and
Biamba Kabengele were the team's dominant hitters, recording 18 and 17 kills, respectively. In eight conference matches this season, the duo continues to be at the forefront offensively, as Edwards ranks second in the conference with 111 kills while Kabengele ranks fifth with 109.
Logan Blutreich led the charge up front, registering seven kills in the match, including the match-winner in the fifth set. Defensively, Blutreich led the team with two block solos and three block assists. In 14 matches this season, the freshman from Chandler, Ariz., ranks fourth on the team with 19 blocks while leading the team in solo blocks with eight.
In a back-and-forth contest, the Tigers won the first and third sets, fending off multiple Cougar runs in the process. The Tigers never trailed in the fifth frame and took charge, winning eight of the first 13 points. Leading 12-9 past the midway point, the Tigers held off the Cougars one final time, registering the last three of the final four points to secure the upset victory.
"We went into the fifth set with such confidence," Gibbons continued. "We left it all on the court today, and I couldn't be prouder of them."
Pacific returns to action on Thursday, Oct. 20, as the Tigers travel to take on Santa Clara in a West Coast Conference rematch at the Leavey Center at 6 p.m.
