EL PASO, Texas – Faced with their toughest test of the non-conference, the Pacific women’s volleyball program takes part in the Borderland Classic, jointly hosted by UTEP and New Mexico State, for three matches spanning Friday to Sunday at UTEP’s Memorial Gym and New Mexico State’s Pan American Center.
The opening bout of the Classic pits Pacific (4-2) against 2025 NCAA Tournament participant UTEP (4-1) for the first time on the Miners’ home court. In the historical series, the Tigers bring a 3-1 record against UTEP and meet for the first time since 2022 – a five-set loss on a neutral court.
Early in the season, Pacific is making its name offensively through the service ace and defensively via the dig. The squad carries a top-100 national ranking in both categories, ranking 65th in team service aces and 84th in team digs.
Behind the onslaught of aces is junior setter Alessia Couchond who is currently 46th in the nation with 12 service aces. The junior has tallied an ace in four of six matches so far this season, tallying multiple aces in each of those four and is highlighted by a five-ace performance against UC Riverside last weekend. Within the West Coast Conference, Couchond is one of four student-athletes to have reached double digit aces.
Bridging the gap between offense and defense is sophomore libero Bella Gutierrez who, with eight aces this season, still ranks in the top-ten in the conference, but also ranks 41st in the country in total digs and third in the WCC (also one of four student-athletes over the century mark in digs). Should she maintain her current pace, she will finish the season with 525 total digs, placing slightly ahead of former teammate Jayhlin Swain for second in a single season in program history.
Following Friday’s match, the team makes the short drive to Las Cruces for the team’s first look at New Mexico State (4-3) since 2019. Despite a three-game slide against the Aggies, the Tigers are still 16-3 all-time versus NMSU and 8-1 in true road matches. Junior outside hitter Nicole Zake continues to separate herself as the team’s premiere offensive options, leading the team with 75 kills and has gone over ten kills in the last five, and most recently set her season high 15 versus LSU New Orleans last time out.
Finally, Sunday brings a return to El Paso and a Golden State showdown with UC San Diego (2-4), the first neutral court meeting in program history. In the previous two matchups, Pacific has walked away with a home sweep and road five-set win. A participant at the Gael-Bear Classic two weeks ago, UCSD defeated WCC contemporary Saint Mary’s, and then shared identical results against Gonzaga and California to the Tigers. A loss last weekend against LMU puts the Tritons 1-1 versus the WCC this season.
Sophomores Julia Porath and Adeline Sirbu have thus far featured as the best Pacific blockers, both totaling three solo blocks for 15 and 7 total blocks respectively.
Friday’s match will be shown on the Mountain West Network plus, requiring a subscription to view, while Saturday is on ESPN+ and then Sunday will not be broadcast. Fans can follow along via live stats and social media.
Tigers Tickets
Tickets for upcoming events can be purchased through the PacificTigers.com tickets tab, or by calling the Box Office at 209-946-2474. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for a group discount and exclusive fan experiences.
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