STOCKTON, Calif. – Despite
Biamba Kabengele and
Alexa Edwards combining for 25 kills, the Pacific volleyball team fell to #4 San Diego, 25-17, 25-23, 25-15, in a West Coast Conference contest Thursday evening at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
Kabengele led the Tigers (10-9, 2-5) offensively throughout the match, tallying 13 of the team's 29 kills. Kabengele has recorded double-digit kills in six of the last seven matches and has added 92 during conference play, ranking third-best in the league. Defensively, the senior from Burlington, Ontario, led the team with three of the team's five blocks and tallied seven digs.
Edwards added 12 kills during the hard-fought match, recording her 17th contest this season with at least 10 kills. The junior from Sacramento, Calif., increased her conference-leading total to 277 and is among only five players in the conference to reach the 200-kill threshold.
The Tigers kept pace with the nationally ranked Toreros (16-1, 7-0) in the early stages of the first set, tying the score at five after the first 10 points of the match. However, an 11-6 run in the following 17 points propelled the Toreros to a comfortable lead. The Tigers cut the deficit to four, 21-17, late in the set, but a 4-0 run solidified the eight-point set victory for the Toreros.
Trailing by seven, 9-2, early in the second set, the Tigers rattled off eight-straight points to tie the set at nine. The Tigers followed the comeback with a small run, winning six of the following 10 points to grab a two-point lead, 15-13, midway through the frame. The lead increased to 21-18 later on, but a 7-2 run for the Toreros ensured a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
After a competitive second frame, the Toreros quickly secured the third set, earning the three-set victory and remaining undefeated in conference play.
"I think we did some good things tonight," Head Coach
Greg Gibbons stated after the match. "We had some moments where I thought we played better defensively, but we have to be more consistent on both sides of the ball."
Pacific returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 15, as the Tigers take on its second nationally ranked team in as many matches, facing off against #12 BYU at the Alex G. Spanos Center at noon.
