SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Pacific volleyball team (4-10, 0-2 WCC) completed its first weekend of the conference slate with a straight-set defeat at San Diego (6-6, 1-1 WCC) Saturday afternoon at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
Vanessa Zussino totaled a team-high eight kills, while
Nicole Zake added seven to help guide Pacific offensively throughout the match.
Adeline Sirbu recorded an impressive .714 hitting percentage from the middle blocker position, with five kills on seven total attempts, and
Alessia Couchond recorded double-digit assists for the 14th straight match, with 16.
Trailing 8-7 in the opening frame, Pacific gained its first lead of the afternoon following a 3-0 scoring run for a 10-8 edge. Zake and
Julia Porath posted a kill apiece while Couchond added a service ace to propel the Tigers during the run. Tied at 17 later in the set, San Diego responded with five straight points and held on for a 25-20 first-set win to take the early advantage in the match.
In a highly competitive second set, San Diego began to pull away midway through. With the Tigers holding a narrow 9-8 lead, the Toreros recorded eight of the following 10 points to regain the lead at 16-11. Despite the Zake kickstarting a 4-1 scoring run with a kill to bring the Tigers to within 22-17 later in the frame, the Toreros earned the final three points to extend their lead in the match, 25-17.
San Diego controlled the pace of play in the third set and raced out to a 14-6 lead. Zussino and Porath combined for three kills in the back half of the set as the Tigers brought the margin to within eight, 18-10. The Toreros continued to coast and secured the match with a 25-15 third-set victory.
Pacific continues its four-match road trip to begin West Coast Conference play when it takes on Pepperdine at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, at Firestone Fieldhouse.
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