After getting their feet wet in the West Coast Conference last season, the Pacific volleyball team is primed to make a push towards the top of the standings in year two. With the season just around the corner, the Tigers have released their 2014 schedule of matches.
The Tigers kick off their 2014 slate of matches with non-conference tournament play as they wind their way through some of the best teams in the country in preparation for the WCC season. Starting the year, the Tigers are at home hosting their annual Community Classic from August 28-29 as Pacific welcomes to the Spanos Center some of the best teams in the nation. Coming to Stockton for the 36th edition of the Tigers' home tournament is the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Rider, and Southern Cal. The Trojans are expected to be a top-3 team entering the year and marks the first of three meetings against some of the Pac-12's best.
After opening at home, Pacific packs its bags for nearly a month as the Tigers hit the road for three tournaments throughout most of September. The Tigers begin in Seattle where they will take on Seattle, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Oregon State. From there, Pacific heads to the Bay and Berkeley, Calif. to take on Cal, Nevada, and former conference foe and 2013 Big West Champion UC Santa Barbara.
Spending their first month on the West Coast, the Tigers head east to Starsville, Mississippi where they will take part in Mississippi State's Tournament to close out the non-conference season. In Mississippi, Pacific faces the host Bulldogs along with Southern Illinois-Edwardsville along with North Dakota.
With their extended road trip to start the season over, Pacific comes home to begin conference play as Pacific hosts LMU and Pepperdine for the opening weekend of WCC play on September 25 and 27. The Tigers have a home-heavy first half of the WCC season as Pacific plays six of its first nine conference matches at the Spanos Center. Highlighting the first half of games at home is San Diego, the reigning WCC champions, as the Toreros come to Stockton on October 11.
On October 25, the Tigers host rival Santa Clara at 12:00 pm for a special Dig Pink event at the Spanos Center. In edition to Dig Pink, Pacific will host its annual Veterans/Military Appreciation Night on November 13 against Portland as Pacific kicks off its final home weekend of play. The final home game of the year for the Tigers comes against Gonzaga on November 15 before Pacific hits the road for three final matches to close out the year. The Tigers' regular season finale comes at San Francisco on November 25 before looking towards the NCAA Tournament which starts on December 4.
All times and dates on Pacific's schedule are subject to change.
2014 Pacific Women's Volleyball Schedule