The University of California, Riverside (UCR) women’s volleyball team lost to University of California, Irvine (UCI) 3-0 on Saturday afternoon. Although the Highlanders started off strong, they were unable to continue to feed off that energy throughout the duration of the game.
The Highlanders now have an overall record of 7-16 and a conference record of 2-8. The first set began with UCR getting the first point, and some strong back and forth which ultimately ended with UCI winning the first set, landing at 25-18. During the first set, after junior outside hitter Kailyn Jager and senior right side Carissa Wiles pushed through with aggressive energy, UCI unfortunately took a time out and came back strong, eventually winning them the set.
At the beginning of the second set, the Highlanders came in strong with sophomore outside hitter Jessica Dean. After a few back and forths, it appeared the UCI Anteaters built off their momentum from set one and the Highlanders struggled to find their pace.
Down by six points, UCR called a timeout before hopping back into the game. Set two moved at a much faster pace than earlier features. Sophomore right side Trinity Sheridan heated up, eventually leading the Highlanders with 14 kills. With Dean setting her up, sophomore outside hitter Mia Delahoussaya shined during set two. Her multiple kills kept the Highlanders alive in set two. UCR appeared to have a chance down 5 points, but after a UCI timeout, the Anteaters converted their lead into a set two win.
Third set began with a strong serve and aggressive rally between the teams. With plenty of fight left in them, Delahoussaye, Jager and Sheridan continued to excel. However, UCI entered the third with the intention of closing the same out in this set. With little resistance from the Highlanders, they were able to do just that. UCI easily took the third set 25-14, completing the sweep. With the loss, the Highlanders dropped to 2-8 in the Big West. UC Riverside will play their next match on the road against California State University, Long Beach on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.
