FIRST SERVE
UCI and Hawaii will have their lone meeting of the year Tuesday (Oct. 21) at the Bren Events Center.

UCI begins three consecutive matches on the road, taking on cross-county rival Cal State Fullerton Thursday (Oct. 23) at Titan Gym.

First serve for both matches is 6:00 p.m.

STORYLINES
UC Irvine is 7-13 overall and 2-6 in the Big West. 

Tuesday's match against Hawaii will be the last regular season showdown as members of the Big West. UH will be a member of the Mountain West Conference in 2026.

This week completes the first half of the season.

The Anteaters dropped the last two matches on the road with a 0-3 defeat at Cal Poly and a 1-3 loss at UC Santa Barbara.

Versus the Mustangs, UCI hit .092 (30-21-98), the fourth lowest of the season and lowest since Sept. 12.

UCSB had 11 blocks, the most against the Anteaters this season.

Over the two matches, serving was key as opponents had 16 aces to UCI's 3.

Hawaii leads the conference in aces with 1.64 per set.

UCI ranks fourth in the Big West in blocks (2.40) and digs (13.97).

Outside hitter Kendra Duffey leads the team in kills with a 2.79 average. She has eight matches with double-figure kills and has registered at least one block in all but two matches this season. The senior leads the team in solo blocks with seven.

THE OPPONENTS
Hawaii is 7-12 overall and 3-5 in the Big West.

Hawaii snapped a four-match losing streak with a 3-0 win against UC San Diego on Saturday.

UCI beat Hawaii twice last season, winning 3-2 in a reverse sweep in the Stan Sheriff Center then a 3-1 victory in the regular season finale at the Bren Center. The win at home was an important one, clinching a spot in the Big West Championship.

Cal State Fullerton is 7-13 overall and 2-6 in the Big West.

Last week, the Titans were swept by both Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara.

The Anteaters have taken the last seven meetings against the Titans.

TRIPLETT MAKING AN IMPACT
Outside hitter Madison Triplett has returned to the lineup the last five matches and is averaging 8.8 kills per match.

 Last week, she led UCI against the Mustangs with eight kills and had her second career double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs versus the Gauchos.

Overall, the sophomore is averaging 1.45 kills and 2.11 digs over 55 sets. 

Triplett has four matches with double-figure digs, including a career-high 17 versus at UC Davis.

DOWN THE MIDDLE
Middle blockers Sydnee Rowe and Ally Bolden continue to contribute.

Rowe, a graduate student, is fifth in the Big West in blocks (1.11) and 17^th in hitting percentage (.244).

She has recorded four or more blocks in nine of her last 10 outings. The middle blocker tied her career-high with nine kills versus UCSB. Rowe is averaging 1.26 kills per set.

Bolden added 10 kills and seven blocks over two matches last week. She is averaging 0.89 blocks overall.

She had a career-high 13 kills against CSUN and a career-best nine total blocks (1 solo) versus Nevada. Nine blocks is tied for sixth best this season among Big West players.

FELICIANO RUNNING THE SHOW
Junior Nicole Feliciano has returned to running a 5-1 and is 10th in the Big West with a 6.42 set assists average.

The setter is averaging 2.30 digs, snapping a string of six double-doubles against UCSB.

She has recorded at least one block in seven of the last eight outings.