STOCKTON, Calif.- The Pacific volleyball team (10-5, 2-1 WCC) could shake things up in the conference standings with some big road tests ahead of them this week. The Tigers travel to Southern California for their next two game stretch, taking on Loyola Marymount (10-4, 3-1 WCC) in Los Angeles, Calif. before ending their week against the Toreros (7-6, 3-0 WCC) in San Diego, Calif.
The Tigers went 2-0 at home last week, edging out San Francisco 3-2 and sweeping Santa Clara 3-0. In their five-set thriller versus the Dons, Pacific clinched the final two sets to maintain its perfect record at home. Two days later, the Tigers averaged a team season-high .376 hitting percentage over the duration of their three-straight set wins over the Broncos.
First up for the Tigers this week is LMU on Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. The Lions currently sit in third in the conference standings, just above the Tigers at fourth.
Junior Jacquelyn Moore leads both the Lions and the conference with a .477 hitting percentage. She averages 2.76 kills/s with 124 total kills on the year. She's aided by three other Lions with over 100 kills this year, graduate student Kari Geissberger (122), senior Amethyst Harper (117) and senior Michelle Shaffer (107).
Moore also leads the defensive attack for LMU, averaging 1.40 blocks/s with 63 blocks on the year. Senior Sam Hastings leads both LMU and the conference with a 4.37 digs/s average having collected 201 digs so far this season.
On Saturday, Oct. 7 at noon, the Tigers take on San Diego on the road. The Toreros are second in the conference standings, with an unblemished record in WCC games. They are led by senior Leyla Blackwell, who's hitting .342 on the year and averaging 2.51 kills/s. She's a dual threat for the Toreros, as her 1.43 blocks/s currently lead both the team and the conference. She has 67 total blocks and 118 kills on the year.
Senior Madi Allen aids the defensive attack for the Toreros with 190 digs on the year as she averages 4.04 digs/s. She ranks second in the conference in digs/s.
The Tigers face a tough slate ahead, but they can also hang with the best of them. Fifth year senior
Biamba Kabengele leads the WCC with 205 kills while averaging 3.73 kills/s. She's aided by seniors
Alexa Edwards (170 kills) and
Darina Kumanova (100 kills). Junior
Jenna Heller paves the way for the Tiger offense with a team leading 7.64 assists/s. Heller ranks fifth in the conference in assists, tallying 420 so far this year.
Junior
Megan Nishimura puts up a strong defense for the Tigers with 220 digs on the year. Her 4.00 digs/s ranks her third in the conference. Heller (154 digs), Edwards (152 digs) and Kumanova (108 digs) all assist in bolstering Pacific's defense.
Be sure to follow along on ESPN+ as not to miss any of the action this week.
