IRVINE, Calif. --- Senior Allison Lee led the Anteaters (17-10, 7-5) on "Senior Night" with a team-high 11 kills as UC Irvine finished the home schedule with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-12 victory Thursday night at the Bren Center.
The outside hitter had just one error in 31 swings to hit .323 and added five digs, an ace and a block assist. Victoria Dennis put away seven kills while senior Arielle Manz and Cassidy Pickrell posted six kills each. Shelley Anderson helmed the offensive effort with 27 assists and scooped up six digs while Arden Davis led all players with 16 pick-ups. Seniors Molly Yoder and Hannah Nabbout combined for 10 digs, posting seven and three, respectively.
The Anteaters jumped out to a 7-1 lead, forcing the Highlanders to use an early timeout in the first. Lee fired her team-leading 38th ace to make the score 9-2 but the Highlanders trimmed the advantge back down to five (13-9) on the solo block by Alex Gresham. The Anteaters answered and stretched the margin back to seven at 16-9 on the kill by Lee and again at 20-13 as Victoria Dennis blasted the ball off the UCR block. However, a pair of Highlander kills from Megan Reza and Ashley Cox, coupled with consecutive Anteater attack errors saw the Highlanders climb back into the set at 20-17. A tip shot dropped by Cox kept the margin at three (21-18) but the Anteaters would pull away with a 3-0 run and win the first set on a service error by Cox.
The two teams battled early in the second and UCI took a two-point lead at 9-7 on a booming cross-court kill by Dennis. The Anteaters' scrappy play kept the ensuing rally alive and Cox's attempt fell into the net as UCI inched out to a three-point advantage (10-7). UCI pushed the lead to five (16-11) on a kill from Pickrell but two straight errors by UCI cut the lead down to three (16-13). Dennis tooled an Anderson assist off the Highlander block to halt the rally and sparked a 4-1 run (20-14). UCR answered by mounting a 4-1 run against UCI to make one final push to come to within two at 22-20 but a kill by Pickrell and an attempt by Reza that sailed long put the match out of reach (24-20). UCI would take the second set again on a service error, this time by Alex Gresham.
UCI built a 10-5 lead in the third and extended it to six (12-6) as Anderson aced Maddie Hubbell. Anderson's next serve caught UCR off balance and led to an unforced error. The Anteaters would come out the winner on an extended rally with Dennis knocking down the ball for the 14-6 lead. Dani Geiger crushed kills on consecutive plays (19-10) and Sydney Wright posted a hard kill down the line as UCI's lead climbed to 11. It was Geiger again, who forced an assist from Emily Blair through the UCR block to give the Anteaters match point and Dennis would end the match with a solo block on setter Sarah Bruchet.
UCI travels to UC Davis this Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
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