UC Irvine
UCF
Anteaters Lance Knights; Rosenfeld, Akpakpa With Career-High Blocks
September 12, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. --- UC Irvine earned its second five-set win this season to improve to 4-4 with a 22-25, 25-20, 15-25, 25-23, 15-9 win over Central Florida (5-3) Saturday afternoon at the Diet Coke Classic.
The Anteaters used a 19-12 advantage in total team blocks with Ella Rosenfeld leading with a career-high 10 on eight block assists and two solo blocks to go along with 11 kills and a .455 hitting percentage. Idara Akpakpa also posted a personal-best with eight total blocks on seven block assists and a solo stuff. Victoria Dennis paced the offensive effort with 15 kills. Harlee Kekauoha continued to be efficient, hitting .357 with 13 kills to go along with a pair of key aces. Sydney Wright added nine kills and five block assists while Luna Tsujimoto picked up 18 digs. Shelley Anderson and Emily Blair handled the setting duties with 27 and 20 assists, respectively.
The two sides played an even first set but the Anteaters were unable to contain Jale Hervey and Kia Bright, who combined for 14 of the team's 18 kills. At 15-15, the Knights began to slowly pull away, on a kill from Hervey and an unforced error by Dennis to take a 16-14 lead. Abbie Fleener delivered after the Anteaters were unable to convert on a play for three-point edge (19-16). UCI scratched to close the gap to one at 20-19 following a UCF unforced error but Bright continued to shine for the Knights, delivering on four consecutive attempts to give UCF set point at 24-21. Blair held off the game-winning point with a solo block on Hervey but the outside hitter came through on the ensuing play to win the frame.
UCF was driven to take an early timeout (5-3) in the second set and the Anteaters continued to pressure the Knights out of the break as Blair connected with Dennis for a kill. Dana Faught was called for the double contact on back-to-back plays as UCI built an 8-3 advantage. Dennis's line shot was followed by an unforced error by Bright, stretching the lead to seven at 11-4. The Knights rallied to trim the lead to three at 11-8 but Anderson went to Dennis for a cross-court kill to halt the run at 12-8. Tsujimoto aced Jordan Pingle and Maddie Haggerty's shot down the line went wide, giving UCI a 16-11 cushion. However, after a timeout, UCF went on a 6-1 run to tie the match at 17-17. The Anteaters found Rosenfeld, who knocked the ball down on the slide and then delivered a block assist on Bright for a 19-17 lead. At 20-19, Dennis blasted the ball through the UCF block (21-19) and Arden Davis' serve led to a back-row violation by the Knights to give UCI set point. The Knights went to Bright, who hit the ball wide as UCI tied the match at a set apiece.
The Knights took control in the third set with a .375 hitting percentage. Trailing 12-10, UCF mounted a five-point run to grab the lead and never looked back. The Anteaters looked to regroup with a timeout at 15-12 but were unable to contain the Knights, who reeled off another four unanswered points before Wright would notch a kill to halt the run. UCI were unable to climb back into the set, dropping the frame to fall behind in sets, 2-1.
The fourth set was a see-saw battle that saw 15 ties and seven lead changes. UCI came back firing with a .375 clip of its own. The Knights were equal to the task, posting a .323 hitting percentage. The two sides traded points until at 21-21, Kekauoha followed kill with an ace of Bright to force a UCF timeout at 23-21. Anderson and Akpakpa teamed up to stop Hervey on the following play, giving UCI set point and following a two-point spurt by the Knights, Wright forced the fifth set with a hard kill cross-court.
UCI shined in the final frame, hitting .304 and dominated the net with a 10-2 advantage in block assists to hold the Knights to a .042 clip. With UCI trailing 4-3, Rosenfeld paired up with Wright to stop Haggerty on consecutive attempts (6-4). After a UCF timeout, it was Rosenfeld again, this time with a kill and then a block assist on Hervey. Kekauoha's service winner gave the team a five-point lead at 9-4 and Samantha Frost chipped in an ace to stretch the lead to six (11-5). Dennis, hitting on all cylinders in the frame, came through on consecutive plays with first a drop shot over the block and then a kill to the deep corner to give UCI match point. The Anteaters then claimed the victory as Dennis and Akpakpak denied Hervey for the win.
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