STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific volleyball team returns home to the Alex G. Spanos Center for two West Coast Conference contests, facing off against Loyola Marymount on Thursday, Nov. 3, and Pepperdine on Saturday, Nov. 5.
With a four-set win over Saint Mary's last week, the Tigers (13-10, 5-6) have sole possession of sixth place in the conference standings. During the crucial conference win, Biamba Kabengele led the Tigers offensively, tallying a career-high 27 kills. Kabengele, constructing a career-best season to date, has reached the 20-kill mark twice this season and has totaled 211 kills in 18 matches.
The Burlington, Ontario senior registered a .435 hitting percentage throughout the match and only committed seven attack errors while propelling the Tigers defensively with eight digs and two blocks.
Jenna Heller leads the team in assists, tallying 788 in 23 matches. Heller ranks fifth in the conference in assists and has recorded an 8.78 assists per set ratio, ranking her sixth best in the league.
Loyola Marymount has won 10 of the last 11 matches and sits in third place in the conference standings. The Lions (14-7, 9-3), who have only dropped one match in October, are coming off a straight-sets win over Santa Clara last weekend.
Through 21 matches this season, Kari Geissberger leads the Lions offensively, recording a team-high 250 kills and registering a kills per set ratio of 3.29. Defensively, Phoebe Awoleye leads the team with 104 blocks and ranks second in the conference in blocks per set, registering 1.37 in 76 sets played.
The Tigers have been victorious through the years against the Lions, accumulating 12 wins since the 2007 season. The Lions earned the straight-sets win over the Tigers in the first meeting earlier this season at the Gersten Pavilion.
After a matchup against Loyola Marymount, Pacific welcomes Pepperdine to the Alex G. Spanos Center. The Waves (16-7, 7-5) have lost two of the last three matches and are coming off a five-set loss to San Francisco last weekend. With the team's recent struggles, the Waves have dropped to fourth place in the conference standings.
Four talented offensive players lead the team with Meg Brown, Grace Chillingworth, Emily Hellmuth, and Rachel Ahrens, combining for 882 of the Wave's 1,165 kills this season. Brown leads the team with 247 kills, while Chillingworth and Hellmuth have tallied 244 and 230, respectively.
The Tigers have accumulated 15 wins over the Waves since the first-ever meeting in 1978, including a five-set victory at the Alex G. Spanos Center last season. Earlier this season, the Waves came out victorious, earning a straight-sets win at home over the Tigers on October 6.
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