IRVINE, Calif. --- Sophomore setter Shelley Anderson recorded a career-high 59 assists and tied a personal-best with a team-high 18 digs as UC Irvine defeated Idaho, 25-14, 25-19, 26-28, 25-13 Friday afternoon in the UC Irvine Invitational at Crawford Court.

Cassidy Pickrell fired a personal-high five aces and led the Anteaters with 21 kills while hitting .327. Marisa Bubica blasted a .395 percentage, putting away 18 of 38 attempts while Allison Lee paced the team with four block assists as UCI posted a 9-7 block advantage. Arden Davis reached double-digit digs with 16 and served up three baseline winners.

UCI came out firing, hitting .467 in the first match and scoring seven unanswered points, capped by a solo block by Dani Geiger. The Vandals were not to be out-done and put together an 8-2 run to climb back into the match trailing 9-8. The Anteaters used a three-point switch to extend the lead to four at 12-8 and then received back-to-back kills from Pickrell and Lee to open the deficit to seven (18-11). That would be as close as the Vandals would get with Pickrell putting away the game winner.  

The Anteaters did not jump out to a fast lead in the second frame but consecutive kills from Arielle Manz and Bubica to gave UCI an early 10-7 advantage. A key block by Lee and Manz prompted an Idaho timeout with UCI holding onto a comfortable 18-12 lead. The Vandals closed the gap to four at 23-19 as Meredith Coba and Alyssa Schultz blocked a Cassidy effort but an unforced error by Becca Mau gave UCI a two-set lead.

Idaho rebounded and battled in the third pulling away from an 8-8 tie on a kill and a block assist from Schultz for the 10-8 edge. It was Schultz again after a UCI timeout as the middle blocker delivered another block assist and then put the ball away to widen the deficit to four at 12-8. The Anteaters clawed at the gap and would eventually catch Idaho at 24-24 as Anderson connected with Bubica for a shot down the middle. The two teams traded points and eventually an attempt by Bubica would go long to force a fourth set.

The Anteaters hit a match-best .486 in the final frame. With Molly Yoder serving, UCI jumped out to a commanding 8-1 lead as Anderson distributed the ball to four different players. The sophomore also delivered an ace to give the Anteaters an 11-point lead and Manz and Bubica paired up to deny Ali Forde on match point for the win.