STOCKTON, Calif. -- The Pacific beach volleyball team, fresh off a much-improved 2021 season, begin a new campaign on Friday, Feb. 25, at the Cal State Bakersfield Tournament.
 
The Tigers, led by Head Coach Greg Gibbons, who finished with an overall record of 6-8 during the 2021 season, look to improve as new faces will be in the spotlight. Gibbons enters his 10th season as the beach volleyball coach and has assembled a squad with crucial first-year athletes looking to impact the team positively. Brooklynn Thomas, Darina Kumanova, Megan Nishimura, and Abby Miller will be competing on the sand for the first time while the squad of Jenny Todd, Hania Taduran, Lucy Carpenter, and Sammie Sheppard will be the veteran-driving presence to lead the team.
 
"It's exciting," Gibbons said regarding his team. "There's a lot of upside, and I believe this is the most talented beach volleyball team in the history of our program."
 
Pacific will have a tough test to begin the new season, facing off against nationally-ranked Pepperdine at the CSU Bakersfield Tournament. The Tigers, who have not played the Waves since April 20, 2018, will look to take down the 14th-ranked Waves for the first time in program history.
 
The Tigers will close out the season-opening tournament with contests against Vanguard and CSU Bakersfield. The program has never lost to Vanguard as the Tigers defeated the Lions in their only meeting, a 3-2 victory in Northridge, Calif. on April 2, 2021, while the Tigers will face off against the Roadrunners for the first time in program history.
 
"We're focused on a process and trying to peak at the right time," Gibbons stated regarding the upcoming season. "In the first month last season, we didn't win a single beach duel, but we improved and made the biggest news at the WCC Championships and went to the semifinals, upsetting Santa Clara."
 
Two more tournaments will occur during the regular season as the Tigers will compete in the Big West/WCC Challenge on March 5, facing off against CSU Bakersfield for the second time this season, CSUN, and Sacramento State. On March 25 and 26, the Tigers will compete in the WCC Midseason Invitational in Santa Cruz, Calif.
 
The Tigers will take on multiple West Coast Conference opponents later in the season, facing off against Saint Mary's twice, Santa Clara, and then wrap up the regular season at home against San Francisco.
 
Pacific will head to Santa Monica, Calif., to compete in the WCC Championships on April 29 and 30 to finish off the season.