PASADENA, Calif. - Volleyball fans were treated to excitement and high hopes for the home team, as the Caltech Beavers opened their season against the Eagles of West Coast Baptist.  With only a few weeks of practice under their belt, the Beavers were unsure of what they would find in their first rallies of the year, but as the nerves of the first night wore off, the Beavers were smiling. Though they finished the night with a loss (16-25, 25-21, 16-25, 23-25), the Beavers have nothing to be down about. Competitive from the first serve, Caltech made sure everyone felt the new energy, new coach, and new attitude.

Tech went on to lose three sets while grabbing one, but the progress from last season was remarkable. On multiple occasions, the crowd exploded as Tech kept plays alive that last season would have been certain points for the opponent. This season it appears that Tech has flow and hustle, the squad used those ingredients to generate exciting action.

Experience blazed the trail as senior Katie Peters and junior Teri Juarez took their team deep into each set. Peters led all attackers with 12 kills on the night while Juarez joined her with 10 kills of her own. West Coast Baptist only registered two more total kills (32) than Tech's showing of 30, which demonstrated just how hot the net action was. Juarez warmed up her serve well, notching five aces for the night and helping Tech change momentum during key spots in the match.  As always, senior Ying Ying Tran did the job in the back row, totaling a match high 16 digs. Peters added 14 digs to the total. Megan Jackson won the job running the offense. The spot was up for grabs on day one, but Jackson rose to the occasion and added 23 assists to Tech's evening.

If this was a preview of what is to come as the team gets deeper into the season, there may be some great volleyball in Braun this Fall. Ready to make their mark, the Techers are hungry to compete, and "compete" was the tone out of the gates. Watch for the Beavers again on Thursday night as they take on Mills College at 6 pm in Braun Athletic Center.