NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The Tiger volleyball season officially gets underway on August 29 when the team faces Cal Baptist at The Ridge Invitational in Northridge, Calif., followed by matches against host CSUN on Aug. 30 and Idaho State on Aug. 31 inside the Premier America Credit Union Arena.

Pacific's matchup with CBU is the program's first meeting and just the third matchup against a current Western Athletic Conference school under Head Coach Greg Gibbons' direction. In the previous two matchups versus the WAC, Pacific walked away with 3-0 shutouts over Tarleton in 2021 and Southern Utah in 2011.

Despite the lack of familiarity between the two schools, both head coaches have met on the court before. In 2022, Gibbons defeated CBU Head Coach Trevor Johnson's Liberty team 3-2.

In the last ten seasons, Pacific is 3-1 opening the season against mid-major competition with the last occurrence coming in 2019 (a win vs. San Jose State).

On Saturday, Pacific renews an old Big West Conference rivalry when the team meets CSUN. Playing on the Matadors' home court, a Tiger win would even the series at seven wins each while extending the overall series to an 18-12 Pacific advantage. Under Gibbons, Pacific is 4-3 all-time against CSUN.

The only active Tiger on the roster with previous experience matching up with CSUN is graduate transfer Olivia Keller, who collected three kills on seven attempts while playing for Fresno State in 2023.

Finally rounding out the weekend, Pacific's match with Idaho State is the series' first meeting since 1986 – when Pacific took a 3-1 victory. While the Bengals themselves might not be a familiar foe, their conference, the Big Sky, is featured regularly on the Pacific schedule. Since Gibbons took over the program in 2010, the Tigers are 16-6 against the Big Sky, including a 3-2 win in last season's National Invitational Volleyball Championship over Weber State.

With a roster featuring 15 new faces from a season ago, Pacific will be looking to lean on defense early and build off a season in which the Tigers held 16 opponents to an under .200 hitting percentage and sported a reception percentage of 94.3% - led by rising senior Jayhlin Swain's 524 digs last season, the second most in a single season in program history.

Saturday's matchup with host CSUN will be the only Tiger match broadcast over the weekend, and that game can be seen on ESPN+.

Tigers Tickets
Tickets for upcoming events can be purchased through the PacificTigers.com tickets tab, or by calling the Box Office at 209-946-2474.  Groups of 10 or more are eligible for a group discount and exclusive fan experiences.
 
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