FULLERTON, Calif. --- UC Irvine was pushed in the first set, falling 32-30, but rebounded with wins in the next three sets to defeat Cal State Fullerton, 3-1 (30-32, 25-16, 25-22, 25-19) Saturday night at Titan Gym.
UCI used an 11-7 advantage at the net and also logged a 10-1 win from the service line to dispatch the Titans. Arielle Manz led all players with six blocks while Allison Lee and Ella Rosenfeld added four block assists apiece. Cassidy Pickrell topped the team with 16 kills with Lee and Victoria Dennis chipping in 15 kills apiece. Lee, who committed just one error to hit. 318 on the night, shared the team-high in digs with Pickrell and Arden Davis as the trio posted 17 apiece. Shelley Anderson fired three aces, sharing the team-lead with Lee, to go along with 53 assists.
The Titans got out to a fast start in the first set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead with Nikki Withers putting away two kills in the run. However the Anteaters rallied and answered with five straight points to tie the match at 6-6 on the kill from Rosenfeld. The Titans mounted another extended run and went on an 8-1 run to take a seemingly comfortable 18-11 advantage. However, UCI chipped at the lead to tie the score at 23-23 with Lee and Manz stopping Katelyn Nielsen at the net. The two teams traded points until at 30-30, Mackenzie Olsen found Holland Crenshaw for the kill and Dennis ended the set with an unforced error.
It was UCI's turn to open a set with a fast start as the Anteaters sped out to a 7-3 lead with Pickrell acing Rachel Brown to cap the run. After a Titan kill by Ally Forsberg, UCI went on an 8-0 unanswered run to take an insurmountable 15-6 lead as Withers committed consecutive unforced errors. CSF mounted a four-point rally to close the gap to five at 15-10 on the block by Mackenzie Olsen and Stephanie Buss the Anteaters were never threatened and tied the match on an ace by Anderson.
Unforced errors stymied UCI's start in the third and the Titans capitalized by taking a 6-0 lead behind a pair of kills from Withers and an ace from Paige Reed. With CSF leading 10-4, the Anteaters climbed back into the set by putting together a 7-1 run to tie the score at 11-11 as Anderson found Manz for the kill. The Titans pulled ahead at 16-13 on the solo stuff by Stephanie Buss but UCI stayed within striking distance and at 19-19, reeled off four unanswered points with Anderson acing Devin Ulmer on back-to-back plays to give UCI a 23-19 lead. The Titans trimmed the lead to two at 23-21 on the kill by Withers but the Anteaters held CSF off and Anderson dealt an assist to Lee for the kill as UCI took a 2-1 set lead.
UCI put together its most efficient set of the match in the fourth, hitting .270 and holding the Titans to a .143 clip. Consecutive unforced CSF errors kick-started the frame and UCI built a slim 10-7 margin on the kill from Lee. UCI inched out to a four-point advantage as Hannah Nabbout aced Ulmer and forced a CSF timeout. Anderson dished to Dennis for a pair of kills (19-13) and the Anteaters would close out the match on the kill from Lee.
__________________________________________________________
For UC Irvine Athletics ticket information, please call (949) 824-5000 or e-mail athletics.tickets@uci.edu. For more information click here.
For information on how you can help support UC Irvine Athletics, please call (949) 824-6933 or e-mail aaf@uci.edu. For additional information, click here.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and by downloading the UCI Front Row app, available free to all Anteater fans through iTunes and Google Play, to view schedules, results, and up-to-the-minute news.
