IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine snapped a three-match winning streak with a loss to UC San Diego Friday at the Bren Events Center.

The Anteaters won the first set 25-18 then watched the Tritons win the final three 25-22, 25-20, 25-20.

Outside hitter Katie Smith led the Anteater offense with 14 kills and three aces and was solid at the net with six total blocks, including three solos.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>Opposite Hunter Riedl and outside hitter Kendra MacDonald each posted 11 kills. MacDonald added nine digs and five total blocks
>Middle blocker Ella Gardiner had a team-best eight total blocks (2 solo, 6 assisted) and six kills
>Libero Campbell Jensen had 12 digs, while Maia Niemen and Indy De Smet each totaled six digs each
>Setter Nicole Feliciano recorded 39 set assists and 10 digs
>Each team had 14 blocks with UCSD holding the advantage in hitting percentage (.231-.194) and digs (63-52)
>The Tritons used a balanced attack with five players recording double-digit kills.
>Ava McInnis topped UCSD with 14 kills, while Paulina Baillie had 22 digs
>UCSD moves in front of UCI in the Big West standings with a 9-4 league record and goes to 15-9 overall. UCI is 14-10 on the year and 8-5 in the Big West

FIRST SET
>Kills by Hunter Riedl and Kendra MacDonald were followed by a Triton attack error and an ace by Indy De Smet to put UCI in front 5-2
>Katie Smith crushed a kill cross court to increase the lead to 7-4 only to watch UCSD score the next five, three on UCI errors, to take a 9-7 advantage
>UC San Diego held a 15-13 lead at the media timeout and after the break, UCI used two kills by Smith and a UCSD error to move in front 16-15
>The Tritons answered with the next two (17-16) only to watch UCI flip the script again on a kill by Ofure Iselen from the middle and two aces by Smith plus another kill by Iselen, 20-17
>UCI scored the final five points of the set, the last two a block by Ella Gardiner and MacDonald and a MacDonald kill, 25-18

SECOND SET
>Nicole Feliciano poked a ball up that led to a Riedl kill, 3-0
>A Gardiner solo block and kill on the slide increased the margin to 6-1
>UCSD would score five unanswered to tie the set at 7-7
>A kill and solo block by Smith sandwiched a Triton error to give UCI a10-7 advantage
>An ace and block by UC San Diego knotted the set at 12 all then two kills gave the Tritons their first lead of the set, 14-12
>UCSD would lead 16-13 when UCI had back-to-back kills by Riedl and MacDonald to close the gap, 15-16
>Following a Triton service error UCI used a kill and block assist by Gardiner to tie the set at 17-17
>The Tritons had a block and two kills to move past UCI, 21-19
>A kill by Smith and a UCSD attack error tied the set at 21-21
>The Tritons would close out the set, outscoring UCI 4-1, the last three on two blocks and an ace, 25-22

THIRD SET
>In a closely contested set, UCI finally created some separation on a kill by Riedl and two Tritons errors, the last a block by Gardiner, 18-15
>The lead was short-lived as UCSD close out the set on a 10-2 run to win 25-20
>UCSD hit .515 (20-3-33) to UCI's .370 (12-2-27)

FOURTH SET
>Kills by MacDonald and Gardiner and a block by the duo gave UCI a 5-3 lead
>Back-to-back Triton hitting errors helped UCI to a 7-5 advantage
>A kill and back-to-back blocks started an 9-1 run by the Tritons putting UCSD ahead 15-9
>UCI made a move on kills by Riedl, Smith and MacDonald to come within, 13-15
>UCI would try to rally again on a three Triton errors, the last two on blocks, a solo by Smith and the last by Iselen and Smith, 19-21
>Three UCSD kills, the final two by Kylie Pries ended the set and match, 25-20

NOTES
>With 12 digs Friday, Jensen moved into ninth all-time in UCI career digs with  1,057
>The match had 33 ties and 15 lead changes over the four sets

UP NEXT
UCI will host Black & Blue rival Long Beach State Saturday (Nov.9) at 4:00 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.