Friday, August 28
Seattle, Wash.
7:00 PM
UC Irvine
0-1,0-0Big West
1
at
3
Washington
1-0,0-0Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Irvine | 25 | 14 | 10 | 20 | 1 |
| Washington | 17 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Anteaters Drop Season Opener at Washington, 3-1
August 28, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
SEATTLE - UC Irvine women's volleyball dropped a 3-1 (25-17, 14-25, 10-25, 20-25) decision to Big 10 member Washington in both teams' season opener Friday evening at Alaska Airlines Arena.
The Anteaters were dominant in the first set, hitting .282 (14-3-39) and holding the Huskies to .000 (8-8-40). They also outblocked UW, 4-to-1, and owned a 21-16 edge in digs.
Washington then found its rhythm as it hit well over .400 in each of the next two sets. The fourth set was evenly played, but the Huskies made a late push for the win.
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Madison Triplett led the Anteaters with nine kills (.304). Freshman Memphis Burnett added seven kills, while sophomore Abby Pekrul recorded six kills. Pekrul did not commit an error on 18 swings for a .333 percentage.
Freshman Tata Vongfak anchored the back row with a team-best 16 digs. Senior Nicole Feliciano also had 16 assists and nine digs. Freshman Taylor Boice contributed five kills and four blocks.
UW won the battle in kills (50-37), aces (9-2), and blocks (8-7), while UCI had a 60-57 advantage in digs. The Huskies' Kylie Kleckner led all players with 15 kills, and Andrea Fabikovicova registered a match-high 18 digs and 33 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine (0-1) started the match with back-to-back kills from Jessica Bates and Triplett. Washington then got on the board and proceeded to go up, 4-2. The Anteaters punched back with seven unanswered to take a 9-4 lead. Boice sparked the rally with two blocks and a kill. The Huskies tied it up twice before UCI broke a 10-10 deadlock with a 9-2 run. The sides then traded points until a couple blocks from Pekrul, including one solo, cemented the 25-17 opening-set victory.
UW raced out to a 10-2 advantage in the second set. The Huskies continued to roll, going up, 20-7, following three-straight kills. The 'Eaters made a late push, scoring seven of the last 11 points in the 25-14 loss. After being held to .000 hitting in the first set, Washington responded with a .467 (16-2-30) percentage in the second.
Washington (1-0) kept the momentum on their side in the third frame, scoring the first four points. The Anteaters couldn't slow down the Huskies who ran away with the 25-10 win.
After the home team pulled out front, 9-4, in the fourth, UC Irvine used a strong serving run from Whitney Wallace, that included an ace, to cut the deficit to one (9-8). It remained close with a Feliciano kill making it 12-11 and forcing a Washington timeout. UW then put together a 7-1 spurt out of the break for a 19-12 margin. Triplett responded with her ninth kill of the night before the teams went back-and-forth with the Huskies taking set point at 24-18. Kills from Burnett and Izzy Romero kept the 'Eaters alive, but Washington answered with a kill of its own to close out the 25-20 victory.
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns to Alaska Airlines Arena for a neutral-site match against IU Indy on Saturday, Aug. 29. First serve is set for 4 p.m.
NOTES
• Five of UC Irvine's six newcomers played in the season opener.
• The Anteaters had three freshmen in their starting lineup - Taylor Boice (MB), Memphis Burnett (OH), and Tata Vongfak (L).
• This was the first meeting between UCI and UW since 1980.
• The Huskies now lead the all-time series, 2-1.
The Anteaters were dominant in the first set, hitting .282 (14-3-39) and holding the Huskies to .000 (8-8-40). They also outblocked UW, 4-to-1, and owned a 21-16 edge in digs.
Washington then found its rhythm as it hit well over .400 in each of the next two sets. The fourth set was evenly played, but the Huskies made a late push for the win.
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Madison Triplett led the Anteaters with nine kills (.304). Freshman Memphis Burnett added seven kills, while sophomore Abby Pekrul recorded six kills. Pekrul did not commit an error on 18 swings for a .333 percentage.
Freshman Tata Vongfak anchored the back row with a team-best 16 digs. Senior Nicole Feliciano also had 16 assists and nine digs. Freshman Taylor Boice contributed five kills and four blocks.
UW won the battle in kills (50-37), aces (9-2), and blocks (8-7), while UCI had a 60-57 advantage in digs. The Huskies' Kylie Kleckner led all players with 15 kills, and Andrea Fabikovicova registered a match-high 18 digs and 33 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine (0-1) started the match with back-to-back kills from Jessica Bates and Triplett. Washington then got on the board and proceeded to go up, 4-2. The Anteaters punched back with seven unanswered to take a 9-4 lead. Boice sparked the rally with two blocks and a kill. The Huskies tied it up twice before UCI broke a 10-10 deadlock with a 9-2 run. The sides then traded points until a couple blocks from Pekrul, including one solo, cemented the 25-17 opening-set victory.
UW raced out to a 10-2 advantage in the second set. The Huskies continued to roll, going up, 20-7, following three-straight kills. The 'Eaters made a late push, scoring seven of the last 11 points in the 25-14 loss. After being held to .000 hitting in the first set, Washington responded with a .467 (16-2-30) percentage in the second.
Washington (1-0) kept the momentum on their side in the third frame, scoring the first four points. The Anteaters couldn't slow down the Huskies who ran away with the 25-10 win.
After the home team pulled out front, 9-4, in the fourth, UC Irvine used a strong serving run from Whitney Wallace, that included an ace, to cut the deficit to one (9-8). It remained close with a Feliciano kill making it 12-11 and forcing a Washington timeout. UW then put together a 7-1 spurt out of the break for a 19-12 margin. Triplett responded with her ninth kill of the night before the teams went back-and-forth with the Huskies taking set point at 24-18. Kills from Burnett and Izzy Romero kept the 'Eaters alive, but Washington answered with a kill of its own to close out the 25-20 victory.
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns to Alaska Airlines Arena for a neutral-site match against IU Indy on Saturday, Aug. 29. First serve is set for 4 p.m.
NOTES
• Five of UC Irvine's six newcomers played in the season opener.
• The Anteaters had three freshmen in their starting lineup - Taylor Boice (MB), Memphis Burnett (OH), and Tata Vongfak (L).
• This was the first meeting between UCI and UW since 1980.
• The Huskies now lead the all-time series, 2-1.
Players Mentioned
S/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
Irvine
UW
Kills
37
50
Errors
23
18
Attempts
132
142
Hitting %
.106
.225
Points
46.0
67.0
Assists
31
44
Aces
2
9
Blocks
7
8
Game Leaders
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Friday, August 28
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Thursday, August 20
