UC Irvine Falls To No. 25 Long Beach State
September 26, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
LONG BEACH, Calif. --- UC Irvine evened the match at a set apiece but offensive struggles in the third and fourth sets led to a 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 25-17 loss to No. 25 Long Beach State Saturday at the Pyramid.
Marisa Bubica saw action for the first time in over a month and led the team with 15 kills. Victoria Dennis added 12 and Harlee Kekauoha chipped in 11. Luna Tsujimoto picked up a match-best 22 digs while Shelley Anderson posted a double-double with 43 assists and 11 digs. UCI (6-8, 0-2) struggled for the second time at the net, managing just two block assists to Long Beach State's 16.
The 49ers took an 8-4 lead but UCI quickly cut the margin in half and then caught Long Beach State on a bad set from Jenelle Hudson to knot the score at 10-10. Arden Davis picked up a pair of digs and Bubica capitalized with a tip that fell on the LBSU side for an 11-10 UCI lead. At 13-13, the LBSU block delivered twice, prompting a seven-point rally as the 49ers took a comfortable 20-13 lead. An ace by Rosenfeld and a second call for the bad set on the 49ers trimmed the gap to five at 23-18 but following a block by Haley Benson, LBSU closed the frame with an ace from Megan Kruidhof.
Long Beach took early command in the second at 10-5 after Benson hit a line shot that was too much for the Anteater back-row. Benson followed with a shot on the slide that sailed long but UCI was unable to capitalize on the error as Anderson's serve hit the net (11-6). However, Akpakpa slammed a ball down the middle (11-7) and Davis aced Nele Barber (11-8) before Kekauoha hit a pair of cross-court shots that brought UCI to within two at 13-11. The run continued as the freshman then paired up with Rosenfeld to deny Mykah Wilson and prompt a LBSU timeout at 13-12. Carly Beddingfield tooled the ball off the UCI block but the Anteaters managed to stay within two points until a kill from Anderson (17-16) and an off-speed roll shot from Kekauoha tied the set at 18-18. The two teams traded points until Bubica pushed a shot off the LBSU hands to give the Anteaters a 22-21 edge. At 23-23, Rosenfeld delivered a kill to give UCI set point and Barber's attempt on the next play dropped wide as the Anteaters tied the match.
The Anteater offense struggled in the third and Long Beach State claimed a 13-10 lead after a line shot from Bubica fell wide. The gap stretched to four after Beddingfield put away the ball on an over-pass but Bubica stayed true to the line on the next play and LBSU's attempt would hit the antenna as UCI cut the lead in half. Ashley Murray's attempt on the next play was called out and the Anteaters took a 14-13 edge. Benson factored for the 49ers in the next two plays, winning a joust at the net and then providing the block assist on Rosenfeld (18-15). UCI was unable to rebound and a miscommunication between Anderson and Akpakpa forced an Anteater timeout at 23-18. The 49er block came through again, this time stopping Dennis (24-18) but UCI scored three straight before Murray put the ball down the middle to end the frame.
UCI carved out a two-point lead at 9-7 after Rosenfeld blocked Hudson but pair of unforced errors quickly saw the score tied at 9-9. Kekauoha kept the 49ers off balances with tough serving as UCI built a 12-9 lead but a pair of kills and a block by Barber tied the score again at 12-12. An ace by Sarah Miller sparked an 8-1 run by the 49ers that UCI was unable to counter. Hudson dropped a ball that fell untouched by the Anteaters and Bubica would be stopped by the LBSU block to give the 49ers match point. Kekauoha forced the ball off the LBSU block (24-17) but Benson dunked the ball to close out the contest.
