November 21, 2012
Matadors 3 – Highlanders 0

Searching for their fourth win in the last seven games, the UC Riverside women’s volleyball team began the final two matches of their season on the road, starting with the first match against Cal State Northridge. The Highlanders (8-23, 2-15) were swept by the Matadors (20-10, 11-6) in three straight sets (25-14, 25-12, 25-17) as the home team dominated and produced nearly 50 kills in only an hour and 13 minutes of play.

Riverside’s Ashley Cox tied for game-high honors with 12 kills while Amanda Vialpando added nine kills and eight digs. Mahina Haina paced the Matadors with 12 kills.

The first set opened with the Highlanders leading early at 2-1 before five consecutive points by the Matadors pushed the lead to 8-3. UCR couldn’t recover as the home team widened the gap to 10 points at 22-12 en route to a 25-14 set victory.

The second period saw Cal State Northridge continue its dominant form. The Highlanders never led in the set as the Matadors generated 17 kills to only one error while completing on 100 percent (13-13) of their sideouts to win the set, 25-12. UC Riverside struggled with its offense as the team hit a collective attack percentage of .135 compared to the Matadors’ .571.

Set three began with UC Riverside staying competitive early as a Vialpando kill and Northridge service error evened the score at 3-3. The Matadors then reeled off nine of the next 12 points to dismantle the listless Highlanders, eventually winning the match on a Haina kill, 25-17. CSU Northridge didn’t commit a single error in the period, amassing 15 kills while the Highlanders continued to struggle as no other hitter outside of Vialpando and Cox managed more than three kills for the game. The team connected on less than a quarter of their total attacks (.110) and did not tally a single block for the entire match.

November 23, 2012
Wahine 3 – Highlanders 0

In front of a crowd of over 7,000 fans, the UC Riverside women’s volleyball team concluded it’s 2012 season with a three-set road loss (25-17, 25-17, 25-23) against the University of Hawai’i (26-2, 18-0), who completed an undefeated season in Big West Conference play.

The Highlanders (8-24, 2-16) fell to an early 10-14 deficit in the first set as the eighth-ranked team in the nation raced to 20-11 advantage behind a string of UCR errors. The Highlanders recovered by winning the next four points behind strong serving to cut the lead to 20-15 before the Wahines clinched the set, 25-17.

After dropping the second set (17-25), UC Riverside regained its composure as the team won 10 of the opening 16 points to lead 10-6. The Highlanders continued to build on their lead as an Ashley Cox kill and service ace extended the score to 16-11. Backed by a spirited audience, the Wahines went on a 6-1 run to cut the margin to 17-18 before a kill by Stephanie Hagins tied the score at 18 apiece. The two teams then traded leads until Hawai’i converted on two attacks to pull ahead, 22-20. UC Riverside recovered to tie the score at 22-22 before another two-point run brought the home team to a match point. An Amanda Vialpando kill kept the visiting team’s hopes alive and brought the Highlanders to within one point at 24-23 before a Waine kill ended UC Riverside’s season, 25-23.

Cox led the Highlanders with nine kills and six digs while Vialpando registered eight kills. Emily Hartong led Hawai’i with a game-high 13 kills and nine digs.

The UC Riverside women’s volleyball team says goodbye to seven seniors this year: Bianca Endersby, Kristin Van Dongen, Courtney Wypiszynski, Shelby LeDuff, Megan Patterson, Jasmin White and Vialpando.