Kekauoha, Akpakpa Record Career-Bests In Win Over Titans
September 30, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
IRVINE, Calif. --- Idara Akpakpa and Harlee Kekauoha had career-highs in kills to lead UC Irvine to its first Big West Conference win of the year following a 3-2 (25-17, 26-28, 25-19, 26-24, 15-13) victory over Cal State Fullerton Wednesday at Crawford Court.
Akpakpa put away 11 kills in 20 attempts and ended the night with a .300 hitting percentage while Kekauoha recorded a match-high and personal-best 19 kills. The opposite had a solid performance all-around, posting 10 digs to go along with three blocks and a match-best three aces. Victoria Dennis ended the evening with 18 kills and three block assists. Ella Rosenfeld also reached double-figures in kills with 12 and led all players with six block assists. Emily Blair recorded 29 assists in three sets of action while Shelley Anderson totaled 31 and Luna Tsujimoto topped the team with 16 digs.
UCI (7-8, 1-2) grabbed an early 7-4 lead on back-to-back aces from Tsujimoto in the first. The lead stretched to four at 10-6 after a cross-court slam from Sydney Wright and then five at 17-12 as Titan Kyra Hill committed a pair of unforced errors. Wright and Rosenfeld provided the block on Phina Leilua as UCI won the race to 20 (20-14). Kekauoha followed a blocking error on Mackenzie Olsen with an ace of Paige Reed and Rosenfeld handed CSF a pair of shots down the line (24-16). Olsen crossed up the Anteater defense with a kill but Anderson found Dennis, who crushed a cross-court shot to end the frame.
UCI took a 6-3 lead in the second as Olsen committed consecutive setting errors but a pair of unforced miscues put the Anteaters behind at 12-11. Megann Delgado and Hill delivered on two straight plays to give the Titans a 14-11 lead. A timeout by the Anteaters led to two unforced CSF errors and Kekauoha and Rosenfeld denied Hill to tie the set at 15-15. Kekauoha then put away a cross-court winner as the Anteaters claimed a 16-15 edge. The lead teetered back and forth but with the Titans leading 21-20, the UCI block was in effect as Dennis and Akpakpa stopped Delgado (21-21). Akpakpa then delivered again with a solo stuff before teaming up with Kekauoha to deny Katelyn Nielsen (23-21). Akpakpa knocked the ball down on the slide to give UCI set point but the Titans rallied behind kills from Kyra Smith and Delgado to tie the score at 24-24. After trading points, Kandace Thomas tied the match at a set apiece for the Titans with consecutive kills, giving CSF a 28-26 win.
Neither team was able to establish a comfortable lead in the third but at 8-8, CSF recorded a pair of key blocks on Kekauoha and then Dennis to eke out a two-point edge at 10-8. Anderson, trying to corral a pass at the net was called for the back-row violation as the Titan margin went to three (12-9). The Anteaters were caught on their heels by tough serving from CSF and the Titans reeled off a 6-2 run, capped by an ace from Reed. The pressure continued as Akpakpa was stopped by Thomas (17-10) and Delgado, trying to salvage a broken play, bumped the ball over for a kill to extend the Titan lead to eight. The Anteaters rallied for three straight points (23-17) but Smith's soft touch would fall for a kill to give CSF the game-winner.
A 3-0 lead by the Anteaters was quickly erased as the Titans fought to grab a 6-5 edge. Kekauoha fired a service ace and Rosenfeld put away an over-pass as UCI took a two-point lead at 8-6. The Anteaters carved out a four-point margin on kills from Wright and Dennis but CSF climbed back into the set and took a 12-11 lead by scoring five unanswered points. UCI eventually worked the lead back to three at 21-18 following a pair of line shots from Dennis but the Titans would not go away and came to within a point at 21-20. Dennis capitalized on an attack error by Nielsen with a kill that again gave UCI a three point lead (23-20) but the Titans responded with three points, capping the run with a block on Akpakpa to knot the score. At 24-24, Kekauoha went cross-court and Rosenfeld and Wright paired up for the game-winner and sent back an attempt by Delgado.
Arden Davis sparked an opening 4-1 salvo in the fifth with a pair of key digs and an ace of Reed but the Titans quickly turned the set around with a five-point run to take a 5-4 edge. Kekauoha beat a Titan triple block to keep the score even at 7-7 and Rosenfeld and Wright stuffed Thomas to prompt the side change at 8-7. UCI worked the lead to two at 11-9 after a kill and a block assist from Rosenfeld but CSF knotted the score at 13-13 on a kill from Nielsen and an attack error by the Anteaters. On the ensuing play, Dennis connected with Blair and hammered a cross-court kill and UCI prevailed on a broken play with Akpakpa knocking down an assist from Davis to win it for the Anteaters.
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