LAS VEGAS - The Pacific volleyball team officially embarks on its 2024 season with a a trio of matches at the Rebel Challenge Tournament, hosted by UNLV at Cox Pavilion.

The opener is a 3 p.m. bout against Iowa State on Friday, and the Tigers will also face Northwestern and UNLV on Saturday and Sunday.
 
After taking fourth in the West Coast Conference in 2023, the Tigers reloaded for another push for a conference title, while retaining their core output from a season ago. Pacific finished 10-6 in WCC contests, earning its third-straight berth to the National Volleyball Invitational Championship. The Tigers ended the year 18-11 overall for its second straight-season at 18 wins.
 
Returning to the squad this season are two members of the 2023 All-WCC First Team in graduate outside hitter Alexa Edwards and senior setter Jenna Heller. Both were named to the 2024 All-WCC Preseason Team.
 
Edwards led the way for the Tigers offensively in 2023, finishing third in the conference in kills per set with 3.47. She amassed 391 kills on the season, surpassing 1,000 career kills in the process. The outside hitter accrued two WCC Player of the Week honors for her part in Pacific's victories over LMU and 2023 WCC Champion Pepperdine. 
 
Heller orchestrated the Tiger offense in tandem, ranking fifth in the conference in assists per set with 8.34. She tallied 946 assists on the season last year, launching her career total to 2,602 assists, which ranks her ninth all-time in Pacific history.
 
Graduate outside hitter Darina Kumanova returns for another year after earning an All-WCC honorable mention in 2023. The graduate was third on the team in kills (186) and aces (32), while ranking fourth in digs (231).
 
On the defensive side, the Tigers welcome back senior libero Megan Nishimura, who led the Tigers with 346 digs through 2023. Edwards and Heller combined for 580 digs to help bolster the defense.
 
Harnessing power at the net is junior middle blocker Emily Van Groningen, who earned an All-WCC honorable mention from the league in 2023. She notched 88.0 blocks to lead all Tigers.
 
Six new Tigers join the ranks this season, as three freshmen and three transfers make their name on a talented Pacific roster. 
 
Friday's meeting with the Cyclones is the first between the two programs. Iowa State comes off a 20-10 season that included an NCAA tournament berth as the Cyclones took fourth in the Big-12. 
 
The following day the Tigers meet Northwestern for their first match since 2022. Pacific leads the all-time series 9-2, while holding an advantage on a neutral floor, 3-1. The Wildcats come off a 15-15 season where they finished ninth in the Big Ten. The match is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 31.
 
Pacific wraps up its first weekend against tournament host UNLV on Sunday at noon. The Tigers lead the Rebels 5-1 in the all-time series and the two meet for the first time since 2021. UNLV finished third in the Mountain West behind a 19-13 record. While the Rebels took the match in 2021, the Tigers have never lost a road match to UNLV.
 
Live stats and streaming are available for all matches.
 
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