Saturday, September 5
Fresno, Calif.
3:00 PM
UC Irvine
1-5,0-0Big West
1
at
3
Fresno State
2-4,0-0Pac-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Irvine | 20 | 24 | 25 | 21 | 1 |
| Fresno St. | 25 | 26 | 18 | 25 | 3 |
Photo by: Jillian Leslie | UC Irvine Athletics
UCI Closes out Bulldog Invitational with 3-1 Loss to Fresno State
September 05, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
FRESNO, Calif. - UC Irvine women's volleyball fell to tournament host and Pac-12 member Fresno State, 3-1 (20-25, 24-26, 25-18, 21-25), in the final match of the Bulldog Invitational Saturday at Save Mart Center.
It was a tightly-contested battle with 22 ties and seven lead changes throughout the match. Both sides made significant runs with the Bulldogs finding a way to get it done late as they erased an 18-11 deficit in the second set and a 16-12 deficit in the fourth.
BY THE NUMBERS: Redshirt freshman Brianna Brewer finished with a team-high 13 kills, while freshman Taylor Boice had 11. Freshmen Memphis Burnett and Vani Tatoulian also set season bests with eight and seven kills, respectively.
Junior Madison Triplett added seven kills and 10 digs, and redshirt freshman Jessica Bates totaled seven kills and eight digs. Sophomore Angelina Dellutri recorded a double-double with a career-high 39 assists and 10 digs to go along with three aces. Junior libero Whitney Wallace also had her third-straight double-digit dig effort with 10.
As a team, UCI held a slight edge in kills (54-43), aces (10-8), and blocks (7-6), but Fresno State won the battle in digs (63-56), and hit .279 compared to .199 for the 'Eaters. Jenna Legault led the Bulldogs with 18 kills and 16 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Fresno State (2-4) broke a 6-6 tie in the opening set with four-straight points. The Bulldogs stayed out front until UC Irvine used a 4-0 spurt, capped by a Brewer kill, to pull even at 13-all. The home team answered with an 11-5 run to go up, 24-18. The Anteaters saved two set points with kills from Triplett and Brewer before the 'Dogs closed out the 25-20 victory.
The two teams traded points early in set two. UCI (1-5) made the first move with an 8-2 rally that ended with a double block by Tatoulian and Dellutri for an 11-7 advantage. Fresno State quickly cut the deficit to one, but the 'Eaters responded by reeling off six straight to pull ahead, 18-11. Izzy Romero had three aces in a five-point serving run. The seesaw battle continued as the Bulldogs came storming back to cut the deficit to 21-20. UC Irvine increased its cushion back to three following a Fresno hitting error and a Brewer kill. After calling a timeout, the 'Dogs made the final 6-1 push for the 26-24 win.
There were eight ties to start the third frame. The Anteaters then created some separation as an 8-1 run gave them a 19-12 lead. Bates had three kills and a block during that stretch, while Kaia Ciszewski added two aces. Fresno State once again mounted a comeback as it came within two, but this time the 'Eaters finished strong with back-to-back aces from Triplett closing out the 25-18 victory.
The Bulldogs regrouped and took an 8-3 lead in the fourth. UCI then started to click, scoring 11 of the next 13 points for a 14-10 advantage. The 'Dogs kept it close and turned the tables once again behind an 8-2 rally that put them back on top, 20-18. Fresno State would not relinquish that lead, closing it out at 25-21.
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns home next weekend to host the UCI Invitational at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters will take on LMU (Sept. 11), Utah Tech (Sept. 12), and San Jose State (Sept. 13).
NOTES
• Taylor Boice had her third-straight double-figure kill match.
• Boice, a freshman middle, now leads the team with 2.59 kills per set.
• Freshman middle Vani Tatoulian made her first career start, one day after making her collegiate debut.
• Four 'Eaters combined for the team's season-high 10 aces with Izzy Romero (3) and Angelina Dellutri (3) leading the way.
• Dellutri has at least one ace in four of UCI's six matches, while Kaia Ciszewski had her third consecutive outing with multiple aces.
It was a tightly-contested battle with 22 ties and seven lead changes throughout the match. Both sides made significant runs with the Bulldogs finding a way to get it done late as they erased an 18-11 deficit in the second set and a 16-12 deficit in the fourth.
BY THE NUMBERS: Redshirt freshman Brianna Brewer finished with a team-high 13 kills, while freshman Taylor Boice had 11. Freshmen Memphis Burnett and Vani Tatoulian also set season bests with eight and seven kills, respectively.
Junior Madison Triplett added seven kills and 10 digs, and redshirt freshman Jessica Bates totaled seven kills and eight digs. Sophomore Angelina Dellutri recorded a double-double with a career-high 39 assists and 10 digs to go along with three aces. Junior libero Whitney Wallace also had her third-straight double-digit dig effort with 10.
As a team, UCI held a slight edge in kills (54-43), aces (10-8), and blocks (7-6), but Fresno State won the battle in digs (63-56), and hit .279 compared to .199 for the 'Eaters. Jenna Legault led the Bulldogs with 18 kills and 16 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Fresno State (2-4) broke a 6-6 tie in the opening set with four-straight points. The Bulldogs stayed out front until UC Irvine used a 4-0 spurt, capped by a Brewer kill, to pull even at 13-all. The home team answered with an 11-5 run to go up, 24-18. The Anteaters saved two set points with kills from Triplett and Brewer before the 'Dogs closed out the 25-20 victory.
The two teams traded points early in set two. UCI (1-5) made the first move with an 8-2 rally that ended with a double block by Tatoulian and Dellutri for an 11-7 advantage. Fresno State quickly cut the deficit to one, but the 'Eaters responded by reeling off six straight to pull ahead, 18-11. Izzy Romero had three aces in a five-point serving run. The seesaw battle continued as the Bulldogs came storming back to cut the deficit to 21-20. UC Irvine increased its cushion back to three following a Fresno hitting error and a Brewer kill. After calling a timeout, the 'Dogs made the final 6-1 push for the 26-24 win.
There were eight ties to start the third frame. The Anteaters then created some separation as an 8-1 run gave them a 19-12 lead. Bates had three kills and a block during that stretch, while Kaia Ciszewski added two aces. Fresno State once again mounted a comeback as it came within two, but this time the 'Eaters finished strong with back-to-back aces from Triplett closing out the 25-18 victory.
The Bulldogs regrouped and took an 8-3 lead in the fourth. UCI then started to click, scoring 11 of the next 13 points for a 14-10 advantage. The 'Dogs kept it close and turned the tables once again behind an 8-2 rally that put them back on top, 20-18. Fresno State would not relinquish that lead, closing it out at 25-21.
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns home next weekend to host the UCI Invitational at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters will take on LMU (Sept. 11), Utah Tech (Sept. 12), and San Jose State (Sept. 13).
NOTES
• Taylor Boice had her third-straight double-figure kill match.
• Boice, a freshman middle, now leads the team with 2.59 kills per set.
• Freshman middle Vani Tatoulian made her first career start, one day after making her collegiate debut.
• Four 'Eaters combined for the team's season-high 10 aces with Izzy Romero (3) and Angelina Dellutri (3) leading the way.
• Dellutri has at least one ace in four of UCI's six matches, while Kaia Ciszewski had her third consecutive outing with multiple aces.
Players Mentioned
S/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
Irvine
Fresno
Kills
54
53
Errors
24
17
Attempts
151
129
Hitting %
.199
.279
Points
71.0
67.0
Assists
46
51
Aces
10
8
Blocks
7
6
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Friday, August 28
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Thursday, August 20
