September 25, 2007

Tigers take rating hit with road loss

By Jason Anderson
Record Staff Writer

The Pacific women's volleyball team had to pay a price for Saturday's loss to Cal State Fullerton.

The Tigers tumbled from No. 18 to No. 48 in this week's Rich Kern Percentage Index, a ratings formula similar to the NCAA's official Ratings Percentage Index. The Tigers went from first to third among Big West Conference schools. Cal Poly is No. 20 and Long Beach State is No. 29.

The Tigers (7-3, 1-1 Big West) lost the first game by three points and the second by two. They rebounded to win the third convincingly, 30-16, but by then the match was all but lost.

"It's tough to win on the road, and we just didn't play early with the kind of intensity we needed to beat that team," Pacific coach Charlie Wade said. "You've got to make sure you're ready to go at game time. Knowing teams play better at home, you've got to be able to match their intensity."

The Tigers return to their home court at Spanos Center to play UC Santa Barbara on Friday and No. 20 Cal Poly, the defending Big West champion, on Saturday.

Strength coach quits

Pacific is seeking a director of athletic performance for the second time in 15 months after Erik Korem abruptly resigned to become assistant strength and conditioning coach at Mississippi State. Assistant Tony Sandoval is filling the role on an interim basis.

Korem was hired in July 2006 to replace Todd Smith, who resigned a month earlier to become head strength and conditioning coach at Marquette. Korem announced on his blog that he had "just accepted a position at Mississippi State" on Aug. 25. He posted another entry Aug. 28 announcing his arrival in Mississippi.
Tee time

The Pacific golf team will participate in the Adams Cup of Newport/Cleveland Golf Classic today and Wednesday at the Newport National Golf Club in Middleton, R.I. The field includes 15 teams from 12 conferences, including two that played in the 2007 NCAA Championship. The Tigers finished seventh last season.