Sept. 28, 2012
Aggies 3 – Highlanders 2
The UC Riverside women’s volleyball team went against UC Davis on Friday, Sept. 28 with the hopes of finally getting a conference win. The Highlanders fell behind, 0-2 (18-25, 15-25), and tried to make a comeback, winning the next two sets (25-17, 25-23), however the team was unable to pull off the comeback as they lost set five, 11-15, and went on to lose the match, 2-3.
Ashley Cox led all players with 24 kills while Amanda Vialpando added a double-double of 18 kills and 14 digs
The Highlanders fell to an early 7-4 deficit in set one and rallied by scoring four of the next five points to tie the set at 8-8. The Aggies turned the tables at that point, as they scored five consecutive points to go back up, 13-8. UCD pushed its lead out to 18-12 and went on to win the set, 25-18.
The score was tied 2-2 in the third set before the Highlanders took a 5-2 advantage, and from there they used their momentum to open a six-point lead, 12-6, eventually winning the set, 25-17.
The Highlanders opened a 10-6 margin and ended up tied when the teams traded points with 10 tied scores. A service ace by Emily Borges and an attack error from the Aggies led Riverside to victory, 25-23.
In the fifth and final set, both teams went back and for as no one led the match no more than two points until UC Davis went up, 12-9. The Highlanders closed the match with two, 12-10, but was unable to complete their comeback as they fell 15-11 for the 3-2 loss.
Sept. 29, 2012
Tigers 3 – Highlanders 0
The UC Riverside volleyball team (5-12, 0-4) continued its road trip on Saturday, Sept. 29 with a 25-23, 25-18 and 25-20 loss at Pacific (14-2, 2-1) in Big West Conference action. The Highlanders have struggled this year and the team has a record of 4-8 when matches are played up to three sets a game, and a record of 1-4 when the play four or more.
The top performers for UC Riverside were Amanda Vialpando and Ashley Cox. They both recorded double-doubles for the Highlanders, tallying 15 kills and 10 digs, and 12 kills and 10 digs respectively.
The first set was a battle against the two teams as they combined for 10 tied scores throughout the set. The last tie was at 21-21 before the Tigers got two straight kills, and UCR made an error which put Pacific up at set-point, 24-21.The Highlanders came close to one, 24-23, but after a Tigers timeout UCR was not able to keep up their rally as they lost the first set, 25-23.
Set two was a close one as well with seven tied scores and four lead changes. The game was tied at 16-16 before the Tigers rallied for three consecutive points for a 19-16 lead. Pacific then closed out the set on a 6-1 run to earn the 25-18 victory.
In the third set, UCR had an early 5-3 lead, but the two teams battled as they compiled eight more tied scores to 12-12. Pacific then scored the next two points to go up, 14-12, and it would be a lead they never relinquished as they went on to finish the set 25-20.
Next up for UC Riverside is a match against Cal State Fullerton at the SRC Arena in Riverside, Saturday, Oct. 6.
