UC Irvine
Utah
UCI Out-Blocked By Utes In Wolverine Classic Opener
September 13, 2013 | Women's Volleyball
OREM, Utah --- UC Irvine was out-blocked by an opponent for the first time this season as Utah handed the Anteaters their third straight loss 25-22, 25-19, 12-25, 25-13 Friday the Wolverine Classic hosted by Utah Valley University.
The Utes remain undefeated (8-0) after posting a 13-8 advantage at the net while the Anteaters (5-3) edged Utah in digs, 52-46. Aly Squires all players with 16 kills and four total blocks to go along with 10 digs for a double-double. Squires had just four errors and hit .293 in the effort. Marisa Bubica knocked down 15 kills and hit .333 (15-6-27). Shelley Anderson had 38 assists with four kills while Arden Davis totaled nine digs.
The Utes used a 6-1 stretch in the first set to pull away from a 5-5 tie and take an 11-6 lead. UCI closed the gap to three at 12-9 on an ace by Anderson and would mount a late 7-1 run to shrink the deficit to one at 21-20. Utah's Morgan Odale committed a service error at 23-22 but the Utes rebounded with a kill by Shelby Dalton and an ace by Lea Adolph to take the first frame.
The Anteaters were unable to hold back the Utes, who outscored UCI 11-2, building a 21-13 lead. A pair of kills from Squires brought UCI to within five points at 23-18 but it was Odale with the set-winning kills on the assist from Kendall Cygan.
UCI battled from the start in the third frame as the Anteaters hit .467 for the set while holding Utah to a .121 clip. UCI leapt out to a 10-6 lead. The Utes managed to stay within striking distance but at 15-12, the Anteaters went on a tear and scored the final 10 points to avoid the sweep.
The lopsided win by the Anteaters in the third was followed by one in the fourth. With the score knotted at 9-9, Utah rallied for a 9-1 run (18-10). The two teams would trade points and at 23-15, a kill from Bailey Bateman was followed by an unforced error by the Anteaters.
Wolverine Classic action continues for UCI Saturday against Utah Valley State (11:30 a.m.) and Idaho State (3:30 p.m.).
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