One of University of the Pacific’s strongest athletic programs has officially begun its climb toward a conference title and NCAA tournament berth.

The volleyball team, picked fourth in the 2024 West Coast Conference coaches’ preseason poll, is coming off a fourth-place finish in the conference last year. The Tigers finished 18-11 and earned their third straight postseason appearance to the National Volleyball Invitational Championship.

The Tigers aim for their first outright conference championship since 2000 after winning the Big West that year. Since rejoining the West Coast Conference in 2013, the Tigers have finished as high as second in the league.

Working in tandem is Pacific’s goal of returning to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2004. The Tigers are one of only 12 Division I volleyball programs to have won an NCAA championship.

From a team that produced six 2023 All-West Coast Conference Team mentions, four returned to the lineup this year.

Graduate outside hitter Alexa Edwards and senior setter Jenna Heller were named to this season’s West Coast Conference preseason team after earning first team honors in 2023. Graduate outside hitter Darina Kumanova and junior middle blocker Emily Van Groningen each locked up honorable mentions last year.

The group was responsible for 57% of the team’s kills, while accounting for 52% of the team’s digs in 2023.

Edwards, one of four legacy players alongside Heller, freshman opposite Alyson Cox and redshirt-junior middle blocker Sam Sublett, led the team with 391 kills, 293 digs and 26 aces. Heller moved to ninth all-time in Pacific history after accruing 2,602 career assists behind 946 assists in 2023. The offensive orchestrator also added 33 aces a season ago.

Van Groningen led the Tigers defense with 88.0 total blocks, while senior libero Megan Nishimura locked down opposing offenses with 346 digs. Heller, Edwards and Kumanova also provided ample coverage, combining for 811 digs in 2023.

Last year marked back-to-back seasons at 18 wins for the Tigers. Pacific went 10-6 in a highly competitive league and were the lone team to defeat 2023 WCC champion Pepperdine in conference play. With the addition of Oregon State and Washington State this year, the league’s parity grows more diverse.

“We have a chance to compete for a championship. We have a lot of veteran players and added some tools to make us even better,” head coach Greg Gibbons said. “We are extremely competitive in a very tough conference. We built a tough, nationally competitive schedule and I like our chances.”

The season begins Friday, Aug. 30 as the Tigers travel to their first preseason tournament hosted by UNLV. The Tigers meet two Power-5 programs in Iowa State and Northwestern before battling tournament host UNLV Sunday. Pacific faces Iowa State first for a 3 p.m. match Aug. 30.