Box Score IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine hit a season-high .368 to help beat Holy Cross 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-12) in the first contest of the adidas/UCI Invitational at the Bren Events Center.

Eight Anteaters players recorded a kill and six chipped in at least one block in the win. UCI (2-2) also had a season-high eight aces.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>Sophomore outside hitter Marianna Bertolone had a season-high 13 kills to lead the Anteaters. She hit .600 (13-1-20), committing just one error in 20 swings
>Middle blocker Kiani Stanton was impressive on both ends, hitting .700 (7-0-10) and recording three block assists
>Middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu added nine kills and three total blocks, while outside hitter Joy Umeh added five kills and two block assists
>Setter Indy DeSmet recorded a double-double with a season-high 10 digs to go with 17 set assists and two aces
>Setter Kelly Negron totaled 20 set assists and two aces
>Libero Campbell Jensen kept her streak of double-digit digs going with a match-high 11
>Holy Cross was led by Rachel Johnson with nine kills followed by Abbie Lane with seven

FIRST SET
>UCI started with a quick 5-0 lead on the strength of kills by Kiani Stanton and Marianna Bertolone and a pair of aces by Kelly Negron
>Three Holy Cross errors and a kill by Onye Ofoegbu extended the lead to 12-3
>A kill and ace by Ofoegbu and a block assist and kill by Bertolone bumped the margin to 19-7
>Holy Cross (1-4) held off three set points before Ofoegbu put away the winner, 25-14

SECOND SET
>The Anteaters started the set with two kills by Bertolone and two Holy Cross errors, one courtesy of a block by Stanton and Joy Umeh, 4-0
>The Crusaders went on a 5-1 run to close within 12-10, but kills by Bertolone and Stanton paired with a Holy Cross error put UCI back in control 15-10
>UCI ended the set on a 6-2 run which included a block by Ofoegbu and Elizabeth Miller and an ace by Kendra MacDonald, 25-15

THIRD SET
>The Anteaters once again got out to a fast start leading 11-4. UCI used a 6-0 spurt aided by a pair of K. MacDonald kills
>With Sofia Skukan at the service line, UCI scored five in a row on three more Bertolone kills, 19-7
>The Anteaters would close out the match on a kill by Umeh, 25-12

NOTES
>UCI held the advantage in blocking for the third straight match, 6-3
>DeSmet added to her team-leading ace total, topping the squad with five in the first four matches. Her double-double is the second this season by UCI
>Freshman Elizabeth Miller made her Anteater debut, adding a block assist and a dig. Sofia Skukan made her season debut
 
UP NEXT
UCI will take on Sacred Heart later today at 7:00 p.m.