Trio of Anteaters Lead UC Irvine to 3-1 Win Over UC Riverside
Nov. 14, 2009
RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- Three Anteaters reached double-digits in kills as UC Irvine defeated UC Riverside, 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 25-19) Saturday at the Student Recreation Center. With the win, UCI moved into a first-place tie in the Big West race, improving to 10-4 in conference action and 21-6 overall. The Highlanders fell to 6-19 overall and 3-11 in league action.
Kari Pestolesi notched a match-high 18 kills while hitting .310 (18-5-42) in the process. The outside hitter also picked up 15 digs and had two aces in the four-set effort. Juliane Piggott and Larissa Nordyke added 12 kills apiece while setter Taryn Robertson handed out 52 assists and scooped up nine digs while adding two aces. Middle blocker Riley Cropper did not commit an error in 14 attempts, putting away five kills to hit .357 and had a team-high three blocks. Libero Kristin Winkler paced the Anteater defense with a match-high 24 digs.
The Highlanders were led by Dominique Cowling, who put together a solid all-around effort with 17 kills, 23 digs and three service aces. Brittney Murrey had five block assists to lead UCR to go along with 39 assists and six kills.
UC Riverside took a three point lead at 7-4 in the first set on a kill by Tonbara Youpele but the Anteaters would catch the Highlanders at 10-10 on a kill by Pestolesi. UCR reclaimed a three-point edge at 17-14 and UCI responded again, putting together a three-point run of its own to take a 20-19 edge on a service winner by Robertson. UCR tied the score at 20 points apiece but the Anteaters put up a second three-point run, capped by an ace by Piggott to lead 23-20. Robertson went to Cropper for set point and Pestolesi's kill gave UCI the set win.
UCI jumped out to the early lead in the second set, taking a 10-6 advantage on back-to-back kills by McCall Miller and Alexandra Hauser. However, the Highlanders mounted a 6-1 run to take a 16-15 lead as Savannah Thomas fired a pair of aces in the rally but UCI wrestled the lead away on consecutive kills for the 17-16 edge. The two teams traded points until the Anteaters outscored UCR 7-3 to end the frame to take a two-set lead.
Neither team was able to take control of the third set as an early three point lead (11-8) by UCR was quickly erased by the Anteaters at 12-11. Following a 14-14 tie, the Highlanders would lead the rest of the way but had to hold off a flurry of rallies by UCI, which came as close as one at 19-18 on a kill by Piggott. Cowling staked UCR to a 21-18 lead with a kill and an ace and Shelby LeDuff and Kelley Quinn teamed up to block Pestolesi at set point to avoid the sweep.
In the finale frame, three early UCR attack errors gave UCI an 11-9 edge. Consecutive put-aways by Thomas and Murrey knotted the score at 16-16 for the Highlanders but the Anteaters scored on three straight plays to take a 20-17 advantage and went on to widen the margin to four on kills from Hauser and Piggott (22-18). Following a kill by Cowling, the Anteaters closed out the match with three straight kills.
UCI hosts Cal State Fullerton next Friday at the Bren Events Center at 7:00 p.m.
