UCI Beats Cal State Bakersfield 3-1 To End Regular Season

Saturday, November 18

Bakersfield, Calif.

2:00 p.m.

UC Irvine

11-18,9-9Big West

Cal State Bakersfield

9-21,5-13Big West

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
UC Irvine	18	25	27	25	3
CSU Bakersfield	25	22	25	19	1

Photo by: Regents of the University of California

UCI Beats Cal State Bakersfield 3-1 To End Regular Season

November 18, 2023 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Stacey Shackleford

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The UC Irvine middle blockers led the charge in a 3-1 victory (18-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-19) over Cal State Bakersfield to end the regular season at the Icardo Center Saturday afternoon.

Isabella Scarlett and Ella Gardiner paced the Anteaters with nine kills each. Scarlett had a team-best six total blocks (1 solo, 5 assisted), while Gardiner totaled four.

UCI had a season-best 12 blocks in the win.

The Anteaters go to 11-18 overall and 9-9 in Big West action. UCI will participate in the inaugural Big West Championship Wednesday (Nov. 22) at the Walter Pyramid on the Long Beach State campus. Final seeds and times are still to be determined. Check ucirvinesports.com for the schedule.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>Opposite Hunter Riedl tallied six kills and four block assists
>Sophomore Kendra MacDonald provided a spark with six kills, three digs and three total blocks
>Keelan Williams added five kills and a season-high two total blocks
>Lexi Gruszczynski was one shy of her career-best with a team-high 13 digs
>Ellen Veargason had a season-high three block assists to go with three kills
>Four Roadrunners posted double-digit kills led by Ava Palm's 12
>Both teams hit .121 and CSUB had 14 blocks

FIRST SET
>A Marianna Bertolone kill was followed by two from Isabella Scarlett to give UCI a 12-10 lead
>The 'Runners answered with four straight kills to move in front 14-12
>A 8-2 run by CSUB, which included two blocks and an ace, closed out the set, 25-18

SECOND SET
>Cal State Bakersfield scored the first six points and led 10-2 before UCI woke up and went on a 5-1 spurt capped by a block by Keelan Williams and Ella Gardiner, 7-11
>UCI rallied on a 6-1 run that included four consecutive Roadrunner errors to get within 14-15
>A block by Scarlett and Kendra MacDonald was followed by a CSUB setting error to tie the set at 17 all
>Kills by Riedl and Scarlett plus a CSUB attack error pushed the Anteaters in front 20-18
>A block by Riedl and Gardiner put UCI up 23-19 before the Roadrunners challenged with three in a row forcing a UCI timeout, 23-22
>A challenge on a touch confirmed an important kill by Williams then Ellan Veargason ended the set with a kill, 25-22

THIRD SET
>The Roadrunners had four in a row to start a 10-2 run to take a 19-13 lead
>UCI tried to stay in it on a CSUB error, a block by MacDonald and Scarlett, and a kill by MacDonald after a great dig by Lexi Gruszczynski, 16-19
>With CSUB leading 22-19, UCI had a kill by Gardiner and two by Williams followed by a Indy De Smet ace to propel the Anteaters to a 23-22 lead
>CSUB answered with the next two for set point 24-23
>In extra time, UCI used a Roadrunner attack that went out, a block by Veragason and Scarlett and a CSUB attack into the net for a 27-25 win

FOURTH SET
>Kills by Gardiner, MacDonald and Veargason and an ace by Campbell Jensen opened a 12-7 advantage
>Cal State Bakersfield pulled to 15-13 before UCI had a block by Veargason and Scarlett proceeded a kill by Jensen after she dove and poked a ball over the net and into the middle of a bunch of Roadrunners and a kill by MacDonald, 18-13
>A kill by Scarlett, a Roadrunner attack error and a block by Gardiner and Riedl put the Anteaters ahead 23-17
>A Williams kill was the final point, 25-19

NOTES
>Setter Nicole Feliciano notched her 13^th double-double of the season, recording 20 set assists and 10 digs
>Libero Campbell Jensen had her 22^nd double-digit performance with 10 digs