Box Score Stockton, Calif. – In their WCC home opener, the Pacific Tigers took down the Portland Pilots 3-1, winning 25-14, 25-20, 23-25, 25-23. Pacific hit .322 in the match, putting up 61 kills as they got their seventh win of the year to move to 7-6. The Pilots are now also 7-6 on the season.
Emily Baptista and Janie Feldsher each set new career highs in kills in the match. Baptista had 18 kills to go along with seven digs and two blocks, surpassing her previous best in kills set against Oregon State this year of 17. Feldsher had 13 kills and zero errors of her own in 21 attacks. Feldsher's previous career high in kills was 10, set October 22 of last year against Santa Clara.
The Tigers took a dominant 15-5 lead in set one as they hit .571 with no errors through their first 14 attacks. Andie Shelton had two kills, two digs, and two block assists early, picking up six assists on Pacific's first ten kills.
Pacific had two early blocks and had their hands in the Pilots' faces continually, forcing five errors as Portland hit -.111 in their first 18 attacks.
The Pilots pulled it within six points at 17-11 before the Tigers took control again for the 25-14 win. Six of the eight Tigers to appear in the set had at least two kills while the Tiger defense held the Pilots to a .000 hitting percentage. Shelton and Feldsher both had perfect sets, with Shelton going 4-for-4 and Feldsher 2-for-2 on their attacks. Ashlyn Fleming also picked up three block assists to go along with her two kills. She would end the night with seven kills and six blocks.
Feldsher's impressive day continued in set two as she picked up four kills in five tries to stake Pacific to an 11-7 lead. Portland tied it up at 15-15 before Pacific took control again. Feldsher picked up another kill, two assists, and a solo block en route to the Tigers' 25-20 win, punctuated by Shelton's set-winning solo block.
The Tigers forced six errors in the second set after forcing seven in the first, all while committing just four total errors through two. Feldsher's seven kills through just two sets were already a season-high for her that only grew as the match went on.
Shelton helped the Tigers fight back from a 14-10 deficit with her fourth kill. Two errors by the Pilots, followed by Lexi Elman's sixth kill of the night, forced a timeout as Pacific brought within two points at 17-15.
Alex Holt entered with Portland leading 19-17 and helped the Tigers take the lead. Feldsher matched her career-high in kills with her tenth of the match, then Holt forced an attack error with a strong contest after getting a piece of Portland's first attack.
Emily Baptista's fifth kill of the set and 12th of the game gave Pacific control down 24-21. Elman followed with two kills in a row to make it a one-point game.
Elman appeared to tie the game at 24 as her attack was called in for the kill originally, only to have the point replayed after a complaint from Portland. An error followed to send it to a fourth set.
Baptista added four more kills in Pacific's first nine points of the fourth set. Shelton added two kills as well but four early errors put the Tigers down 12-10.
The Tigers would tie it at 16 thanks to yet another kill by Baptista, giving her 17 in the match, tying her career high. Shelton's fifth block gave Pacific their first lead in the set.
Skylar Wine's sixth kill of the night put the Tigers in a position to win, taking an enthusiastic 24-22 lead. Pacific would win it when Feldsher smashed a high ball straight down at the net with no one around.
Pacific will play at home once more this week, hosting Gonzaga on Saturday, September 24 at noon. Tickets for that game are available online.
