MORAGA, Calif. – Led by
Biamba Kabengele's career night, the Pacific volleyball team defeated Saint Mary's Friday evening, 25-23, 25-18, 21-25, 25-17, in a West Coast Conference contest at the UCU Pavilion.
"Great team effort tonight," Head Coach
Greg Gibbons stated after the match. "I thought we did a great job playing hard and together the entire match."
The Tigers (13-10, 5-6) recorded 58 kills in the four-set victory, the 14th time this season the team has surpassed 50 kills in a match. Kabengele led the Tigers offensively, tallying a career-high 27 kills, the second time this season she has reached the 20-kill mark. Registering a .435 hitting percentage throughout the match, Kabengele only committed seven attack errors while propelling the Tigers defensively with eight digs and two blocks.
In 18 matches played this season, the senior from Burlington, Ontario, has tallied a career-high 211 kills, and in nine conference matches, she ranks seventh in the league with 137 kills.
Darina Kumanova also contributed to the offensive efforts during the match as she tallied 10 kills and three service aces. Kumanova recorded a double-digit kill total for the third straight match, accumulating 37 kills in the process.
In 23 matches played, the junior from Sofia, Bulgaria, ranks third on the team with 176 kills and leads the team with a career-high 39 service aces.
Gaining an early advantage over the Gaels (7-12, 4-7) in the match, the Tigers won the first two sets to jump ahead. Leading 20-19 in a tightly contested first set, the Tigers won five of the last nine points, fending off a rally from the Gaels to secure the frame.
The Tigers took control in the second set, tallying 17 kills on a .294 hitting percentage to earn the set victory after trailing in the early stages. Dropping two of the first three points to begin the set, the Tigers powered to a six-point lead, 16-10, midway through the frame. The Tigers never trailed from that point on, taking nine of the last 18 points to secure the set.
After dropping the third set, the Tigers recovered in the fourth frame, returning from an early deficit to secure the match. Trailing 14-12, the Tigers embarked on a 13-5 run, with Kabengele sparking the comeback with six kills and two service aces.
Pacific returns to action on Thursday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m., as the Tigers return home to face off against Loyola Marymount at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
