Anteaters Knock Off Titans Behind Pickrell's Career-High
November 15, 2013 | Women's Volleyball
FULLERTON, Calif. --- Freshman Cassidy Pickrell put away a career-high 25 kills and hit .447 to lead UC Irvine to a 26-24, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-10 win over Cal State Fullerton Friday at Titan Gym. The win was the Anteaters' third straight as they climbed to 14-13 overall and 5-8 in the Big West.
Marisa Bubica added 15 kills while Arielle Manz totaled eight kills and six total blocks. The two teams were even with 68 kills apiece but UCI took the edge in digs, 82-71, with Arden Davis leading the team with 21. Shelley Anderson posted a double-double with 52 assists and 10 digs to go along with two key aces and six kills. UCI out-aced the Titans, 7-4, with Shannon Fleming firing three service winners and chipping in six kills.
Holding a one-point lead against the Titans (9-8), UCI scored five unanswered points to open the margin to six at 14-8 on back-to-back kills from Pickrell. CSF countered with a six-point rally to close the gap to one at 16-15 and then used a four-point run to grab a 22-19 advantage on the block by Holland Crenshaw and Faith Rockmore. The Titans looked to have the set in hand leading 23-20, but a kill from Manz and an ace from Anderson forced a CSF timeout with UCI trailing 23-22. Alyse Hensley put away the ball out of the timeout to give the Titans set point but Anderson found Pickrell and then Bubica for a pair of kills to tie the set. Pickrell then aced Bre Moreland and Bubica and Manz stole the frame with a block on Hensley.
UCI was held to a .130 hitting percentage in the second frame but the Titans did not fare any better, hitting .132. The Anteaters were the first to edge ahead in the see-saw battle, taking a 20-17 lead on a kill from Anderson but the Titans responded with five straight points to turn a 21-19 deficit into a 24-21 lead. A kill from Pickrell closed the gap to two but Julie Consani dealt the ball to Hensley for the winning point.
Fleming opened the third frame with an ace to spark a 6-0 run for the Anteaters. CSF chipped at the deficit and eventually caught UCI at 14-14 as Moreland knocked down consecutive kills. It was Fleming again who delivered, this time with back-to-back kills for an 18-15 UCI lead. The Titans shaved the lead to one but unforced errors by Consani and Crenshaw opened the door for the Anteaters and Anderson aced Moreland to give UCI a 2-1 set lead.
CSF used a .312 hitting percentage to build an 11-9 lead in the fourth. Crenshaw and Holland came through for the Titans on three straight plays to widen the margin to five points (18-13). UCI never threatened and Consani connected with Crenshaw as the Titans forced a fifth set.
The Anteaters put together their most efficient frame in the deciding set, hitting .400 while holding CSF to a .188 percentage. A Bubica kill gave UCI a 6-4 lead but unforced errors by Bubica and Manz gave Titans an 8-6 edge. Anderson went to Aly Squires twice to tie the match and the two teams would trade points. At 10-10, Anteaters surged and scored the final six points with Anderson sealing the win with a kill on the overpass.
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