Box Score RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Irvine used a balanced attack to pick up its first Big West win with a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-23, 28-26) of UC Riverside at the SRC Arena Thursday.

Three players, Sydnee Rowe, Kendra Duffey and Jessica Bates, logged a team-high nine kills. Rowe, who graduated from UCR last year, set a new career-best with the nine kills, while hitting .421 (9-1-19). She also recorded a match-best five block assists.

Duffey also recorded 10 digs, an ace and a block. Bates had seven digs, four set assists and a block in the win.

UCI goes to 6-9 and 1-0, while the Highlanders continue to look for a Big West win (0-3) and are 4-9 overall.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>Opposite Lois Hansen put down eight kills and two total blocks (1 solo)
>Middle blocker Elizabeth Miller hit .556 (6-1-9) with a block assist
>Setter Nicole Feliciano recorded her second consecutive double-double with 28 set assists and 15 digs. She also added three kills
>Libero Campbell Jensen recorded match-high 21 digs
>Freshman outside hitter Izzy Romero totaled a career-high two kills and two block assists to go with seven digs and an ace
>UCI held an advantage in hitting percentage (.224-.115) and digs (63-53), while the Highlanders were better from the service line (5-2)
>Both teams had seven blocks

FIRST SET
>Three Highlander attack errors, the last a block by Hansen and Sydnee Rowe, were followed by an ace from Kendra Duffey and a kill by Rowe to help UCI to a 5-0 start
>UCR would take advantage of four UCI errors, one on a block and one an ace to go with three kills to draw even 7-7
>An Anteater service error, a block and an ace moved the Highlanders in front 10-8
>Kills by Duffey, Hansen and Bates plus a block by Rowe and Bates made it 16-12
>UCI kept the heat on with consecutive kills by Bates, Hansen and Elizabeth Miller, 21-15
>The Highlanders would close to 19-23 on a kill and two UCI errors but UCI would record two of the last three points, the last a UCR service error to end the set, 25-21

SECOND SET
>Kills by Rowe and Bates and a UCR attack error gave the Anteaters an early 3-1 lead
>A pair of kills by Duffey and a trio of UCR miscues stretched the margin to 8-3
>UCR would call a timeout after UCI scored on a kill by Hansen and a Highlander attack error, 16-10
>UCI held a 19-12 advantage on two kills by Nicole Feliciano and one by Duffey
>Four consecutive UCI errors made it interesting as UCR pulled within 22-23 prompting head coach Ashlie Hain to call a timeout
>The break worked as Bates and Miller put away kills to win the set, 25-22

THIRD SET
>Two kills by Hansen and a kill and block assist by Miller put UCI in front 6-3
>The lead didn't last long as UCR scored the next four to take the lead 7-6
>In a game of runs, UCI answered with four unanswered, highlighted by an ace from Izzy Romero, to move back in front, 10-7
>Following a kill by UCR, UCI had back-to-back kills by Feliciano and Rowe, 12-8
>Three consecutive Highlander service errors and a kill by Romero put the Anteaters in front, 19-16
>UCR rallied with two kills, an ace and a UCI attack error to take a 20-19 lead
>A block by Rowe and Duffey  and a kill by Duffey switched UCI into the lead 21-20
>Teams would battle back and forth and a block by Rowe and Romero landed UCI at set point 24-23
>An Anteater service error kept the set going until an attack error by UC Riverside was followed by a kill from Duffey for the win, 28-26

NOTES
>It's Feliciano's fourth double-double of the season
>Jensen has four 20+ dig matches this season
>Rowe is a graduate student at UCI, currently in the Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship program.

UP NEXT
UCI will travel to UC Davis Saturday (Oct. 4) for a 1:00 p.m. match.