BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Pacific volleyball team wraps up its non-conference schedule this weekend as the Tigers compete in the Central Cal Challenge, hosted by CSU Bakersfield, starting on Friday, Sept. 16.
The Tigers (5-4) took care of business last weekend, earning back-to-back wins to close out the UC San Diego Tournament, defeating Liberty and UC San Diego in five-set affairs. Throughout the weekend,
Alexa Edwards,
Darina Kumanova, and
Ramonni Cook led the team offensively as each player tallied 30 or more kills in three matches. Edwards led the team; recording 44 total kills as she extended her streak of registering 10 or more kills in a match to nine straight and extended her league-leading season total to 149.
Kumanova and Cook both tallied season-highs in kills, recording 14 in the win over UC San Diego. With Edwards adding 16 in the contest, the win over the Tritons marked the second time this season that three players tallied at least 10 kills in a match.
Pacific opens the Central Cal Challenge with a matchup at CSU Bakersfield, a team coming off a win over West Virginia. The Roadrunners (3-6) earned one win at the South Dakota Classic last weekend, falling to South Dakota and Northern Colorado, before defeating the Mountaineers in a straight-set victory to close the tournament. The Tigers are 5-1 all-time against the Roadrunners and have won four straight matches against the program dating back to the 2007 season. The last meeting occurred on September 11, 2015, when the Tigers earned a straight-set win over the Roadrunners on the road.
For the 36th time in program history, The Tigers take on Fresno State to close out the first day of competition. The Bulldogs (4-5) have lost two of their last three matches, falling to Tulane and Oklahoma at the Santa Clara Invitational earlier this week. The Tigers have a 32-3 record against the Bulldogs since the 1976 season and have won 31 of the last 32 meetings. The Tigers held a 29-match winning streak from 1978 until 2005 and have won the previous two matchups in 2007 and 2009. The last matchup occurred on August 29, 2009, when the Tigers earned a 3-1 victory on the road.
Sacramento State is the final matchup for the Tigers this weekend, as the two programs face off for the 37th time since 1976. Pacific has won three of the last five meetings against the Hornets (3-6) as the Tigers have earned 28 wins over the Hornets since the first-ever meeting. The most recent meeting occurred during the 2021 season as the Tigers lost to the Hornets in five sets at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
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