STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific beach volleyball team returns to the sand courts on Saturday, Feb. 25, as it kicks off the 2023 season against San Jose State and Santa Clara at Spartan Beach.
"With a beach-only roster, the team has been hyper-focused on their training without any other commitments or distractions," Interim Beach Volleyball Coach Carl Wheeler said. "When you can work with eight solid athletes for an entire year, there is a huge difference in culture and performance."
"Our goal is always to compete and build on our successes and failures to make a splash at the WCC Championships in April."
Led by four returners from the 2022 campaign, the Tigers welcome six new players that look to help improve the team this season. Jenny Todd, Hania Taduran, and Jewel Turner will serve as the team's veteran leadership, while Jillian Rodig and Josephine Kinlan take the court for the first in their collegiate careers.
"Hania and Jenny are our most experienced veteran players on the team," Wheeler said on his impact players. "They will be facing the best of the best this season."
Camdyn Albrecht, Joli Ruby, and Gianna Mora enter their first season with the team as transfers. Mora competed for two seasons at Delta, Albrecht one season at West Valley, and Ruby joined the squad as a fifth-year transfer after competing on the Canisius indoor team for four seasons.
Sedona Sherman, Abby Miller, and Miranda Baptista, fresh off a successful indoor season, will also bring experience to the sand courts for the new season.
Pacific begins the season on the road, facing off against San Jose State and Santa Clara on Saturday, Feb. 25. The Tigers have defeated the Spartans four times since the 2014 season, with the last win coming in 2018. Last season, the Tigers dropped a 5-0 decision to the Spartans in Santa Cruz at the Mid-Season Invitational.
The second match of the afternoon will feature conference foe, Santa Clara. Despite falling in both matches last season, the Tigers have accumulated eight wins in 14 contests against the Broncos throughout program history.
After a road match at UC Davis on Wednesday, March 1, the Tigers will compete at home for the first time, facing off against Portland on Thursday, March 2.
Pacific will see another WCC opponent on Saturday, March 4, as it takes on Saint Mary's at the Santa Cruz Tournament. The Tigers will also face off against Sacramento State to close the tournament.
After two straight road matches at Sacramento State on Saturday, March 11, and Santa Clara on Wednesday, March 15, Pacific will return to Santa Cruz to compete in the Mid-season Tournament.
The Tigers will open the tournament against defending WCC champion LMU on Saturday, March 25, and will take on multiple teams throughout the weekend. The Lions enter 2023 as the seventh-ranked team in the nation according to AVCA Collegiate Beach Preseason Coaches Poll and are favorites to repeat as conference champions.
Pacific will hit the road for four straight contests after a home match against Delta on Thursday, March 30. During the four-match stretch, the Tigers will take on Sacramento State, Concordia Irvine, CSU Bakersfield, and #13 Cal Poly.
The Tigers will host the Pacific Invite on Saturday, April 15, taking on UC Davis and Santa Clara at the Raney Sand Volleyball Courts.
Two nationally ranked opponents close the regular season for Pacific as it travels to take on #11 California and #9 Stanford on Saturday, April 22, at the Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium.
The Tigers will begin postseason play at the WCC Championships from Friday, April 28, to Saturday, April 29, in Santa Monica.
For more information about the 2023 season and future events, follow Pacific beach volleyball on social media and download the Pacific Athletics mobile app.
