EVANSTON, Ill. – The Pacific volleyball team dropped its final match of the Wildcat Classic Saturday morning, falling in five sets to UTEP, 25-22, 25-18, 16-25, 20-25, 9-15, at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
 
The Tigers (1-2) came out fast, taking the first two sets with ease as Alexa Edwards continued her impressive start to the season. In the first two sets of play, Edwards tallied nine kills en route to a game-high 20, as she continued her streak of recording 10 or more kills in a game to three straight. After the first weekend of play, Edwards leads the West Coast Conference in kills with 52 and registers 4.73 kills per set, ranking first in the conference. The junior from Sacramento, Calif., was named to the Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team for her efforts during the weekend.
 
Darina Kumanova and Biamba Kabengele also contributed to the offensive efforts, adding 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Kumanova recorded her first match of the season with at least 10 kills, the 14th time in her Pacific career tallying double-digit kills in a contest.
 
Kabengele competed in her first match as a member of the team and tallied a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs. The Burlington, Ontario senior also added three service aces and three block assists to lead the team.
 
Despite the 2-0 lead, the Miners (2-1) took control and grabbed the following three sets to earn the come-from-behind victory.
 
"There is a lot to learn from this match," Head Coach Greg Gibbons stated. "We competed hard and will learn to be more consistent and disciplined in what we do." "It is all about the process, and we will continue to grow and improve together."
 
Pacific returns to action on Thursday, Sept. 1, as the Tigers take on Chicago State in the Windy City Invitational at the Jones Convocation Center.