SPOKANE, Wash. – Led by Biamba Kabengele's career-high 21 kills, the Pacific volleyball earned its sixth-straight win Thursday evening, defeating Gonzaga 10-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-15 in a West Coast Conference matchup at the Charlotte Y. Martin Centre.
 
The Tigers (9-4, 1-0) accumulated 61 kills during the four-set affair, the second time this season the team has tallied at least 60 kills in a match. Kabengele led the way for the Tigers, as she tallied her fourth match this season with a double-digit kill total while also hitting the 20-kill mark for the first time in her career. The senior from Burlington, Ontario, tallied a previous high of 18 kills, a mark she reached three times prior, with the most recent coming in a win over Rutgers during the 2021 season while competing for Michigan State.
 
After dropping the first set, the Tigers bounced back and swept through the Bulldogs (3-8, 0-1), winning an opening conference match for the first time since the 2019 season. In a competitive second set, the Tigers once again came out slow and fell behind 5-1 before evening the score at 11 midway through the frame. With the score tied at 21 near the end of the set, Alexa Edwards recorded four kills as the Tigers won four of the last five points to even the match at one set apiece.
 
Along with Kabengele's career night, Edwards contributed offensively, recording 14 kills while adding three service aces to help propel the Tigers to victory. The junior from Sacramento, Calif., tallied 10 or more kills for the 11th time this season and continues to lead the conference with 198.
 
Pacific had a balanced defensive effort as Megan Nishimura and Kabengele combined for 24 digs as Nishimura tied her career high with 12. Kabengele also added 12 digs as she tallied her second double-double of the season. 
 
"Great team win," Head Coach Greg Gibbons stated after the team's opening conference win. "We came out a bit slow as Gonzaga had all the momentum …  our team competed and focused on each point in front of them and recorded a high hitting percentage in the last two sets."
 
Pacific returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 24, as the Tigers travel to take on Portland in a West Coast Conference contest starting at 7 p.m.