UC Irvine
USC
Manz Leads UC Irvine In Loss To No. 5 USC
September 18, 2013 | Women's Volleyball
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --- Arielle Manz had the hot hand for UC Irvine with a team-high .462 hitting percentage but the Anteaters were unable to over fifth-ranked USC in a 25-18, 25-15, 25-19 loss Wednesday at the Galen Center.
Manz put away eight kills with just two errors in 13 attempts to hit better than .400 for the third consecutive match. Shannon Fleming added six kills and topped all players with seven blocks as the Anteaters were out-edged at the net, 10-9. Arden Davis and Aly Squires picked up 10 digs apiece while Shelley Anderson totaled 23 assists.
USC jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first to force UCI to use a timeout but the Anteaters were unable to regroup as USC went on a 4-2 run to extend the lead to eight (12-4). UCI closed the gap to six after a tough serve by Fleming caught Samantha Bricio off-guard and eventually led to an attack error by Bricio. The Anteaters came to within five points (22-17) after an unforced error by Hannah Schraer went long but USC closed out the match on a service error by the Anteaters.
However, Pickrell's swipe shot dropped for a kill as UCI trailed 5-4 in the second but the Trojans began to pull away at 10-4 with as Bricio went cross-court twice against the Anteaters to highlight a five-point rally. Fleming closed the gap to four, hitting a pair of shots on the slide (11-7) but USC then recorded six unanswered points to grab a 17-8 lead. UCI would be unable to threaten and the Trojans would take a 2-0 lead on an unforced error by Squires.
UCI trailed early in the third, 8-3, and USC would open an 11-5 lead. However, Pickrell sparked UCI's best run of the night with a hard cut shot. She then delivered an ace down the middle for a point and Anderson went to Fleming, who slammed a ball down on the Trojan side. Following a service error by Pickrell, USC was called for attack error and an ace from Fleming trimmed the lead to 12-11, forcing USC to call a timeout following UCI's 5-1 run. The Trojans scored two straight out of the break and a kill from Elise Ruddins opened the lead back to four (18-14). USC answered with four consecutive points to lead 22-14. The Trojans went to Nwanebu on match point at 24-18 but Squires and Fleming denied the outside hitter before Pickrell's serve would sail long to end the match.
UCI (7-4) hosts the UC Irvine Tournament this Friday and Saturday at the Bren Center. The Anteaters take on American in their home opener Friday at 10:00 a.m.
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