Anteaters Entertain Cal Poly, UC Riverside At Crawford Court

  • UC Irvine will look to improve on its 1-3 Big West record with a pair of home matches against Cal Poly (Oct. 8) and UC Riverside (Oct. 10).
  • Thursday's match will feature two of the top freshmen kill leaders in the Big West when Harlee Kekauoha and Adlee Van Winden face off across the net.
  • Van Winden is third in the Big West with a 3.94 kill average while Kekauoha is eighth at 3.26.
  • Kekauoha is also ranked fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.328) and third in aces (.34).
  • The right-side hitter will also test her skills Saturday against UC Riverside freshman, Alexis Urbach, who is tied for fourth in the Big West with a .33 ace average.
  • Saturday's contest has been designated as a "Think Pink" match. Pink bracelets will be on sale for $1 with all proceeds going to UCI Health.


CAREER-HIGH FOR AKPAKPA

  • Idara Akpakpa recorded a career-high 11 kills in the win against CS Fullerton last week.
  • The middle blocker took 20 swings and committed five errors for a .300 hitting percentage for her second-best clip this year.
  • Her previous high was a .389 effort in the upset of San Diego.
  • Akpakpa is averaging .81 blocks per set and is second on the team with 50 total blocks.


BLOCK PARTY MAKING NOISE

  • After a pair of quiet nights at the net against CSUN and Long Beach State, the Anteater block made its presence known last week.
  • The team reached double-figures in blocking, recording 11 team blocks versus CSF and 16.5 against UC Davis.
  • UCI's 27 block-assist total against the Aggies was the third-highest this year.
  • The team has also reduced the number of blocking errors, putting up zeros in the last three matches.


DAVIS MOVES TO UCI TOP 10

  • Arden Davis recorded 17 digs last week to surpass Kim Collins (1987-90) in the UC Irvine career record books.
  • The junior has now posted 1,034 digs to take over the No. 10 spot.
  • Davis is second on the team with 151 digs and is averaging 2.44 per set.
  • Davis is five digs away from passing Aly Squires, who 1,038 from 2010-13.


ROSENFELD RISING UP

  • Ella Rosenfeld continues to be a leader at the net for the Anteaters.
  • She paced the team on both nights last week, posting six block assists against the Titans and tying a season-high with eight against UCD for her best two-match effort this year.
  • The senior leads the team with a .89 average and has a team-best 47 block assists on the year.


DIRTY DOZEN FOR DENNIS

  • Victoria Dennis has also been a force at the net and is the team leader in solo blocks with 12.
  • The last Anteater player to grab an even dozen was Arielle Manz, who logged 12 in 2013.  
  • Dennis had two solo stuffs against UC Davis to go along with 11 kills.
  • Dennis leads the team with 204 kills and sits seventh in the Big West with a 3.29 kill average.
  • She is third on the team with 36 total blocks.


DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR KEKAUOHA

  • Kekauoha collected a pair of double-doubles last week for her fourth and fifth on the year.
  • She registered 19 kills and 10 digs against CSF and then followed that effort with 12 kills and 12 digs against the Aggies.
  • She is second on the team with 202 kills and third with 120 digs.
  • Kekauoha tops the team with 21 service winners.
  • She did not record an ace against UCD, snapping a three-match streak of at least one service ace.


BLAIR PICKS UP PERSONAL-BEST

  • Emily Blair just missed a double-double of her own, recording a career-high nine digs to go along with 29 assists in the start against UC Davis.
  • The sophomore also had a personal-high two block assists against the Aggies.
  • Blair is second on the team with 256 assists and a 7.11 average in 36 sets.


ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

  • Cal Poly is 10-4 overall and 2-1 in the  Big West.
  • The Mustangs knocked Long Beach State out of the AVCA Top 25 by handing the 49ers a 3-1 loss last week.
  • Cal Poly then followed the win with a sweep of CSUN.
  • The team is led by Adlee Van Winden, who has 205 kills and is averaging 3.94 per set.
  • Cal Poly is averaging 13.63 kills and 15.67 digs.
  • The Anteaters trails in the all-time series, 39-23. The Mustangs won both matches last year by scores of 3-1 and 3-0.


ABOUT THE HIGHLANDERS

  • UC Riverside is 6-10 on the year with a 1-2 Big West mark.
  • The Highlanders were swept by Hawaii and dropped a 3-1 decision to UC Riverside last week.
  • UCR is led by Alex Greshman, who has 123 kills and is averaging 2.05 per set.
  • Gresham also leads the team in block siwth 43 and is averaging .72 per set.
  • UCI leads 30-12 in the all-time series and will put its four-match win streak against the Highlanders on the line this Saturday.

 

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