Nov. 12, 2005

Box Score

Stockton, Calif. - The Pacific Tigers women's volleyball team defeated Cal Poly, 3-1, on Saturday, Nov. 12. With the win, Pacific moved to 15-11 on the season and 7-5 in the Big West Conference, while Cal Poly fell to 18-6 overall and 10-4 in conference.

After dropping the first game, 30-24, Pacific rallied from a late 27-26 deficit as senior Ashley Groothuis (Aurora, Neb.) and sophomore Kara Uhl (Cypress, Calif.) recorded three consecutive kills to give Pacific a 29-27 lead. Following a kill by Cal Poly's Vanessa Gilliam, senior Susan Drollinger (Lake Arrowhead, Calif.) evened the match will a game-winning kill as Pacific took game two, 30-28.

Game three was a seesaw battle as the Mustangs and Tigers battled through 14 ties and eight lead changes. Trailing 31-30, Pacific scored four of the final five points to take game two 34-32. The Tigers got two kills from Uhl and one from both Groothuis and senior Sidney Bennett (Louisville, Ky.) as the Tigers took a 2-1 lead. Pacific had one of its best hitting performances of the season as the Tigers collected 30 kills and just five errors on 53 swings in the game to finish game three with a .472 hitting percentage.

The Tigers continued their sizzling performance in the fourth game as the Tigers hit .372, with 19 kills and three errors on 43 attempts. Sophomore Johanna Hilbers (Omaha, Neb.) got the Tigers off to a fast start, with four of her career-high nine kills in the first 13 points of game four. Pacific took an early 11-7 lead and did not relinquish it as the Tigers won the match, 30-26.

Groothuis led the Tigers with 19 kills, while Bennett had 18 kills, Uhl finished with 16 and Drollinger had a career-high 16 kills. Pacific setter Allison Ianni (East Lansing, Mich.) also set a new career-high with 70 assists.

Cal Poly was led by Kylie Atherstone, who finished with a match-high 21 kills.

Pacific will be back in action on Friday, Nov. 18 as the Tigers travel to Long Beach State to take on the Long Beach State 49ers at 7:30 p.m.