FULLERTON, Calif. --- UC Irvine was unable to protect a 2-1 set lead, falling to Cal State Fullerton, 25-19, 28-30, 22-25, 26-24, 15-11 Thursday at Titan Gym.

Aly Squires led the way with a double-double of 23 kills and 19 digs for the Anteaters, who fell to 8-12 overall and 3-4 in the Big West. Shannon Fleming put away a career-high 18 kills and registered a match-high seven block assists. Fleming, who committed just three errors in 36 swings for a .417 clip,  also fired two aces and picked up six digs in the effort. Marissa Alvarez also had a personal-high with 62 assists to go along with 13 digs in a double-double effort for the setter who also posted four block assists. Kristin Winkler led all players with 29 digs and Hannah Nabbout marked a personal-high with 18 digs. Five Anteaters posted double figures in digs and the list was rounded out by Molly Yoder, who tied a season-best with 12.

UC Irvine opened the first set with a 4-1 lead but the Titans quickly tied the score at 4-4 and pulled away at 8-8 with a four-point run to lead 12-8. The lead extended to six at 19-13 on a kill by Bre Moreland and Cal State Fullerton went on to take the first set on an unforced error by the Anteaters.

The Anteaters rebounded quickly in set No. 2, taking a 12-8 advantage on a kill from Ella Rosenfeld. However, the Titans mounted a five-point rally to take a 13-12 lead as Gabrielle Dewberry aced Squires. With CSF leading 14-13, UCI reeled off eight consecutive points to take a 21-14 lead with Marisa Bubica and Fleming combining for five kills. CSF responded with a 7-1 run to catch UCI again at 22-22 but a Squires kill followed by the block by Rosenfeld and Sydney Wright pulled the Anteaters ahead, 24-22. The Titans did not go away, as Leah Best and Kayla Neto delivered back-to-back kills to tie the score at 24-24. The two teams traded points and at 28-28, Fleming put the ball away on the slide and Alvarez found Bubica for the cross-court kill to tie the match at a set apiece.

UCI led most of the way in the third set, building a 14-8 lead as Alvarez and Fleming paired up to send back an attempt by Neto. Fleming figured in a key block again, this time working with Bubica to stuff Lauren Kissell and give UCI a seven-point margin at 17-10. However, CSF trimmed the lead and used a five-point run to close the gap to two a 21-19 as Kaylynne Taeatafa and Holland Crenshaw blocked Squires to cap the run. Wright's kill halted the Titan rally and a service error by Neto gave UCI the win in the third frame.

Alvarez went to Fleming on three straight plays in the fourth set as UCI claimed an early 7-4 lead, forcing a Titan timeout. UCI's lead widened to six at 13-7 but CSF out-scored the Anteaters 5-1 to come to within two points at 14-12 on consecutive kills by Neto. Squires responded with a cross-court kill and sparked a four-point UCI run as the team reclaimed a six-point advantage at 18-12. Big rallies hurt the Anteaters as the Titans reeled off six straight points to catch UCI at 20-20. At 24-24 Taeatafa connected with Neto for set point and Neto then aced Yoder to force the deciding frame.

The fifth set was a battle and the two teams traded points for most of the frame. However, at 10-10, Squires was stopped at the net and Neto followed with a kill for the 12-10 CSF lead. Bre Moreland aced Fleming, forcing UCI to take its final timeout, trailing 13-10.  Moreland came out of the break with a service error but Neto came through again for match point and an unforced error by the Anteaters would end the contest.

UCI continues action at UC Riverside Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

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