PORTLAND, Ore. – The Pacific volleyball team defeated Omaha, 25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 27-25, in the first round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship Friday evening at the Viking Pavilion.
"We fought hard, and I thought we made great adjustments on every point," Head Coach
Greg Gibbons said after the match. We did a great job weathering Omaha's blows and kept focusing."
Biamba Kabengele and
Alexa Edwards led the Tigers (17-13) offensively, combining for 39 kills. Kabengele recorded 22 kills throughout the contest, marking the fourth time she surpassed 20 kills in a match this season. Tallying a season-high 14 digs, the Burlington, Ontario senior registered her 10th double-double of the season.
Edwards also contributed to the winning efforts, recording her team-leading 11th double-double of the season with 17 kills and 11 digs.
Defensively, the Tigers held the Mavericks (20-11) to a .064 hitting percentage, forcing the team into 25 attack errors. Recording eight blocks in the contest,
Logan Blutreich led the Tigers with one solo and two block assists.
The Tigers jumped ahead after the first set, securing the frame and taking an early advantage over the Mavericks. In the early stages of the set, the Tigers jumped out to an 11-5 lead before the Mavericks climbed back, tying the set at 17. Winning eight of the following 11 points, the Tigers regained the lead and grabbed the early edge in the contest.
After the Mavericks won the second set and tied the match at one set apiece, the Tigers cruised through the third frame to regain the advantage.
In a back-and-forth fourth set, Pacific trailed by seven, 17-10, midway through the frame. Battling back, the Tigers went on a 10-3 run to tie the set at 20. The Tigers later secured the match, winning the final two points of the fourth set to earn the victory.
Pacific returns to action at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, as the Tigers face off against either Portland State or Santa Clara in the second round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.
