Cal Pac Tourney To Tip Off Friday
The California Pacific Conference regular season whittled the number of teams down to four that will continue their march towards the NAIA National Championship, and the four that remain standing have shown that each is capable of making noise on the national stage. The team that will earn that opportunity will be decided this weekend with the Cal Pac Championship tournament is played this Friday and Saturday at La Sierra in Riverside, Calif. Friday's semifinal matches will determine which two teams will face off on Saturday for the Cal Pac's one automatic bid to the National Championship, which gets underway with an Opening Round on Saturday, Nov. 23, at sites to be determined. The final rounds of the NAIA tournament will be played at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
The first semi will feature top-seeded UC Merced against #4 Providence Christian. The Bobcats (14-1 in the Cal Pac and 18-7 overall) led the conference in Hitting Percentage, Kills per Set, Assists per Set, and Service Aces per Set and are currently riding a nine-match win streak. But UCM is returning to the site of its last defeat—a five-set loss to the Golden Eagles on Oct. 17—and must get past a PCC squad that matched the second-highest number of league victories in program history. The Sea Beggars (8-7, 12-18) fell to UCM three times this season and have only defeated them once in 18 matches, but this year's team has they can compete with every team in the conference.
The second match of the day pits #2 Simpson against #3 LSU. The Red Hawks (10-5, 16-13) have put together the best season in program history, setting new standards for conference and overall wins. SU led the Cal Pac in Total Blocks per Set and ranked among the conference's best in every offensive category. The Red Hawks will have to get past the Golden Eagles, who will be playing on their home court in the tournament. LSU (10-5, 12-13) won its final three conference matches and is the only team to beat UCM this Fall, so the Golden Eagles may be able to use that momentum to extend their season.
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CALIFORNIA PACIFIC CONFERENCE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP |
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SEMIFINALS |
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Friday, Nov. 15 |
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11:00 am |
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Cal Pac: record 8-7 |
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Cal Pac: record 14-1 |
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Overall record: 12-18 |
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Overall record: 18-7 |
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Head Coach: Liz Younglove (1st season) |
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Head Coach: Ai Prachumsri (9th season) |
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.160 |
Hitting % |
.211* |
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10.16 |
Kills/Set |
12.68* |
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1.36 |
Total Blocks/Set |
1.60 |
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9.56 |
Assists/Set |
11.2* |
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16.17 |
Digs/Set |
15.86 |
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2.22 |
Service Aces/Set |
2.34* |
*Led Cal Pac
2024 Head-to-head:
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Oct. 3 |
at SU |
UC Merced 3, Providence Christian 0 |
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Oct. 18 |
at PCC |
UC Merced 3, Providence Christian 1 |
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Nov. 2 |
at UCM |
UC Merced 3, Providence Christian 0 |
All-time head-to-head: UC Merced leads the series 17-1
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1:30 pm |
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Cal Pac: record 10-5 |
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Cal Pac: record 10-5 |
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Overall record: 12-13 |
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Overall record: 16-13 |
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Head Coach: Skye Widdison (1st season) |
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Head Coach: Mike Haworth (6th season) |
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.152 |
Hitting % |
.155 |
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11.07 |
Kills/Set |
10.97 |
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1.60 |
Total Blocks/Set |
.168* |
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10.47 |
Assists/Set |
10.41 |
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17.18* |
Digs/Set |
15.43 |
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1.84 |
Service Aces/Set |
2.07 |
*Led Cal Pac
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Oct. 3 |
at SU |
Simpson 3, La Sierra 1 |
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Oct. 18 |
at LSU |
Simpson 3, La Sierra 2 |
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Nov. 2 |
at SU |
La Sierra 3, Simpson 2 |
All-time head-to-head: La Sierra leads series 14-5
UPCOMING MATCHES
CALIFORNIA PACIFIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
At La Sierra | Riverside, Calif.
Friday, Nov. 15
Semifinals
11:00 am - #1 UC Merced vs. #4 Providence Christian
1:30 pm - #2 Simpson vs. #3 La Sierra
Saturday, Nov. 16
7:00 pm – Championship
NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, Nov. 23
Opening Round
At sites to be determined
At Tyson Events Center | Sioux City, Iowa
Dec. 4-6
Pool Play
Dec. 7-9
Bracket Play
Dec. 10
NAIA Championship