SACRAMENTO, Calif – The 2023 season for the Pacific Tigers (18-11) ended in the opening round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship in The Nest on the campus of Sacramento State when the Tigers dropped a 25-16, 19-25, 25-18, 25-23 to Montana State (22-8).
 
Fifth-year senior Biamba Kabengele had an outstanding last match, leading the team with 19 kills and hitting .455 (19-4-33). She also had six digs and two blocks. Senior Alexa Edwards was right behind with 16 kills and was the co-leader in digs with 10.
 
Sophomore Emily Van Groningen had 10 kills, while senior Ramonni Cook contributed six kills and a team-best four blocks. Senior Darina Kumanova had five kills and led the team with three aces. Freshman Zoe Morales led the team with 10 digs. Junior Jenna Heller had a team-best 47 assists, eight digs and two aces.
 
In the opening set, the Tigers showed the rust of the 12-day layoff, starting with three straight service errors and falling behind quickly, 9-3. Pacific could not recover as Montana State did not make an attack error in the set, hitting. 538 (14-0-26). Pacific hit .148 (10-6-27) with Kabengele and Van Groningen each recording four kills. The Bobcats won the first set, 25-16.
 
Pacific played much more like the team that won 18 regular-season matches in the second set, running out to commanding 15-6 lead early. Montana State put together a couple of runs, cutting it to four at 16-12 and again at 20-16. The Tigers put the match away with a 5-3 run for the 25-19 win. Pacific hit much better at .316 (16-4-38), led by four kills by Edwards and three by Kumanova. Montana State hit .182 (11-5-33) in the set.
 
In the third set, Pacific jumped out to an early lead before an 10-4 run by Montana State for an 11-7 edge and the Bobcats did not trail from that point. The Tigers cut it to two on several occasions before falling, 25-18. Pacific hit .370 (14-4-27) in the set, but Montana State hit a sizzling .444 (15-3-27). Edwards had a team-best four kills in the set with Cook, Van Groningen and Kabengele each recording three.
 
The fourth set was the most back-and-forth of the match with 15 ties and eight lead changes and neither team up by more than three. Pacific had a 22-20 edge late in the set before Montana State ended the match with a 5-1 run for the 25-23 win. The dynamic duo of Kabengele and Edwards led the Tigers in the fourth, combining for 15 kills in the set.
 
It was the third straight appearance for the Tigers in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.