Block Comes Alive In Sweep Of UC Riverside

Saturday, October 1

Riverside, CA

7:00 p.m.

UC Irvine

9-5,2-2Big West

UC Riverside

3-10,1-3Big West

Team	1	2	3	Final F
UC Irvine	25	25	25	3
UC Riverside	14	21	17	0

Block Comes Alive In Sweep Of UC Riverside

October 01, 2022 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Stacey Shackleford

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Irvine recorded 13.5 blocks in a 3-0 win (25-14, 25-21, 25-17) over UC Riverside Saturday at SRC Arena.

The 13.5 blocks were the second most by UCI this season. The Anteaters out-blocked the Highlanders 13.5-6.0.

Opposite Ellen Veargason led the Anteaters at the net with a career-high eight total blocks. The sophomore had one solo to go with seven assisted, which tied her career-best. She also added five kills.

Middle blockers Kiani Stanton and Onye Ofeogbu each recorded six block assists and four kills in the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>For the third consecutive match, Marianna Bertolone led the Anteaters totaling 11 kills. She posts her third double-double of the year and second in as many matches with a season-high 14 digs
>Libero Campbell Jensen returned to the lineup and tallied a match-high 20 digs
>Junior Joy Umeh and freshman Kendra MacDonald both pitched in six kills. Umeh also assisted on four blocks
>Indy DeSmet led the setter corps with 12 set assists and eight digs
>UC Riverside was led by Hunter Thomas' eight kills
>Neither team was offensively efficient. UCI hit .158 (36-17-120), while UCR was -.023 (25-18-128)

FIRST SET
>A kill by Marianna Bertolone, a block by Kiani Stanton and a Highlander attack error helped UCI out to a 7-3 lead
>A 4-0 spurt which included kill by Stanton and Joy Umeh extended the lead to 12-8
>UCR closed within 13-12 on a couple of UCI errors then the Anteaters scored seven straight to start a 12-2 run to close out the set, 25-14. Ellen Veargason had three kills and three blocks assists in the run
>The Anteaters controlled the net, totaling six blocks in the game

SECOND SET
>A 6-1 run by the Highlanders moved UCR out to an early 7-3 lead
>UCI climbed back in with a UCR service error, kills by Veargason and Bertolone and an ace by Kendra MacDonald, 8-8
>A triple block by Stanton, K. MacDonald and Umeh and a kill by K. MacDonald ended a 4-0 spurt as UCI would lead, 14-12
>UCR would tie the match at 16-16 only to watch the Anteaters explode for the next five on the strength of two kills by Bertalone and another Veargason/Ofoegbu block, 21-16
>Umeh would end the set with a kill, 25-21

THIRD SET
>Back-to-back kills by Bertolone and K. MacDonald gave UCI a 5-2 lead
>The Anteaters went up 14-11 on a kill by Bertolone and a block by Veargason and Ofoegbu
>UCI would pull away on a 6-1 run which featured two Bertolone kills and four Highlander errors, one a block by Stanton and Umeh, 21-12
>A kill by K. MacDonald ended the set 25-17 ad the match, 3-0

NOTES
>Jensen has totaled 20 or more digs four times this season
>UCI wins 3-0 for the ninth times this season

UP NEXT
In a quick turnaround, UCI will host UC San Diego Tuesday (Oct.3) at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Events Center.