UC Irvine
UC Davis
Anteaters Unable to Hold Off Rallying Tigers
September 24, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
STOCKTON, Calif. --- UC Irvine took a two-set lead against Pacific but was unable hold back the Tigers, who wrested away a five-set (21-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-10, 15-11) win from the Anteaters Friday at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
Aly Squires led the Anteaters with 13 kills to go along with 18 digs while Alexandra Hauser posted a season-high 10 kills. Kristin Winkler topped all players with 23 digs. Shannon Fleming and Marisa Bubica logged identical marks of nine kills and five blocks and Mary Carls had 41 assists in the effort.
UCI (5-6, 0-1), playing in its Big West opener, took an early three-point lead in the first set only to watch the Tigers (10-5, 1-1) bounce back to claim a two-point edge on a service ace by Gabby Cowden. Pacific took its turn, building a three-point lead at 13-10, but Bubica delivered back-to-back kills and was followed by an unforced error by Samantha Misa to knot the score. The two teams traded points until consecutive errors by the Tigers would give UCI a 20-18 lead. Hauser put the ball away down the middle and an attack error by Katy Tagart put the Anteaters ahead at 24-20. A Tagart kill slowed the momentum briefly for UCI but Carls connected with Squires, knocked down a kill to close out the frame.
Neither team could establish a substantial lead in the second set until following a media timeout, the Anteaters reeled off three straight points to lead 18-15. Pacific rebounded with four straight to trim the deficit and would eventually tie the score at 19 points apiece. Squires and Fleming paired up to deliver a key block on Tagart, putting UCI ahead 23-21. Following a Tiger timeout, Pacific came out of the break with an unforced error and Squires and Fleming capped the set by sending back an attempt by Jennifer Sanders.
The Anteaters did not miss a step in the third set, speeding out to an 8-4 lead. The lead extended to four at 9-5 as Carls dished out a ball to Squires and UCI enjoyed its largest lead of the frame at 13-8 as Hauser and Acres denied Misa at the net. Pacific scratched at the lead and made a late push to tie the score at 23-23 on an attempt by Squires that sailed wide. Squires tooled the ball off the block to give UCI match point but Pacific scored three straight with Gillian Howard and Megan Birch denying Fleming twice to cap the run.
Pacific was the aggressor in the fourth set, using a four-point rally to turn a one-point deficit into a 10-7 lead. A kill from Fleming shaved the lead to two at 10-8 but a pair of put-aways sandwiched a solo block by Sanders to build the Tiger advantage to four at 15-11. Leading 17-13, Pacific mounted a six-point run to take a 10-point lead and never looked back, tying the match on a Birch kill.
The two teams traded points in the deciding set but the Tigers would force the side change at 8-7. Pacific then put together a 5-1 run to take a 13-8 lead. UCI cut the lead to three twice at 13-10 and then 14-11 on an attack error by Misa but setter Hannah Clancy found Birch for the game-winner.
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