October 19, 2007

PACIFIC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Pacific newcomers' play surprising

By Jason Anderson
Record Staff Writer

STOCKTON - Freshman outside hitter Svenja Engelhardt and junior setter Shannon Krug came to Pacific this season hoping to help the Tigers turn around their women's volleyball program.

Neither could have expected to contribute quite like this.

Engelhardt and Krug rank among the top 10 in Division I in aces and assists per game, respectively, going into today's nonconference match against Cal State Bakersfield at 7 p.m. today at Spanos Center.

"Their contributions have been significant," Pacific coach Charlie Wade said. "I definitely think the players that have been here have worked hard and improved, too, but you point to the improvement in the win-loss record, and the two new additions are Svenja and Shannon, so I think they certainly deserve some of the credit."

Cal State Bakersfield (5-14) is in the second year of a four-year transition to Division I. The Roadrunners beat Fresno State on Tuesday to snap a five-match losing streak. The Tigers (11-5) are 5-1 at home this season.

Pacific can improve its postseason chances with a win over the Roadrunners tonight and, more importantly, Cal State Fullerton on Saturday in Big West Conference competition. The Titans (9-9, 4-3) defeated the Tigers in four games on Sept. 22 in Fullerton.

"Saturday is a big one for us in terms of our standings, and just in terms of redeeming ourselves," Krug said.

Krug, a transfer from Utah, leads the Big West and ranks eighth in the nation with 13.42 assists per game. She said those numbers reflect the level of comfort she feels with her new teammates.

"It's a really big sign of how well I fit in here and how well our offense has run," Krug said. "It's also a big compliment to my hitters because they're putting the ball away for me."

Engelhardt, who came to Stockton from Germany in August, ranks fourth in the nation and first in the Big West with 0.26 aces per game. She had 13 kills, a school-record tying 11 aces and 10 digs against Cal State Northridge on Saturday. She became the first Pacific volleyball player to post a triple-double since former first-team All-Big West selection Hayley Anderson had 55 assists, 15 digs and 10 kills against Idaho on Sept. 18, 2003.

Engelhardt said she recently received a phone call from her father after he saw her name in the NCAA individual rankings.

"It's pretty amazing," Engelhardt said. "My parents think it's great. They are pretty proud of me."

Today's match

C.S. Bakersfield at Pacific

First serve: 7 p.m., Spanos Center

Records: Cal State Bakersfield 5-14; Pacific 11-5