Friday, October 4
Riverside, CA
7:30 pm
UC Riverside
vs
Cal State Northridge
Photo by: Gabriel L. Acosta
Volleyball Hosts CSUN In Home Opener Friday At 7:30 PM, Battles UCD Saturday At 7 PM
10/2/2013 10:51:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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Riverside—After being on the road for 13 straight matches, the UC Riverside Volleyball Team welcomes Cal State Northridge to the SRC Arena this Friday, October 4 for a 7:30 pm PT contest in the team's home opener. On Saturday, the Highlanders continue Big West play hosting UC Davis at 7 pm.
UCR opened the league portion of its schedule over the weekend falling 3-0 at #6 Hawai'i (box score/recap). The Highlanders are 1-12, 0-1 this season following a four-match losing skid.
Cal State Northridge is receiving votes in the latest AVCA Division I poll bringing an 11-3 overall record into Friday's match. All three of the Matadors losses have been to ranked opponents (#24 Creighton, #11 UCLA and #3 Washington).
CSUN defeated UC Davis in five sets to open conference play on September 28.
Prior to its loss to the Matadors, UC Davis had won three straight and five of six, including a 3-1 upset over California, who was receiving votes in the national poll.
The Aggies won both matches a year ago over the Highlanders, and have taken victories in eight of the last nine contests. UCR still owns the all-time record of 32-14-2, dating back to the 1972 season.
Cal State Northridge defeated UC Riverside the last six times, but prior to that, the Highlanders took three of four matches during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. The Matadors own the all-time record against the blue and gold, 53-20.
| Highlanders vs Matadors & Aggies Match Capsules | |||
| UC Riverside | Cal State Northridge | UC Davis | |
| 2013 Record & Stats | 1-12, 0-1 | 11-3, 1-0 | 8-6, 0-1 |
| Roster | Roster | Roster | |
| Schedule | Schedule | Schedule | |
| Conference | Big West | ||
| Current Streak | L 4 | W 1 | L 1 |
| Most Recent Box Score |
L, 3-0 at #6 Hawai'i |
W, 3-2 vs UC Davis |
L, 2-3 at Cal State Northridge |
| Next Opponent |
Oct. 12 vs Cal State Fullerton |
Oct. 10 vs Long Beach State |
Oct. 10 vs UC Irvine |
| Top Attacker |
 115 K, 2.95 K/S, .122 Pct. |
Junior
174 K, 3.05 K/S, .307 Pct. |
 179 K, 3.31 K/S, .210 Pct. |
| Top Setter |
Nae Bender
Freshman 288 A, 7.20 A/S |
 554 A, 10.86 A/S |
 534 A, 9.89 A/S |
| Top Blocker |
 23 TB, 0.56 B/S |
 51 TB, 0.89 B/S |
 54 TB, 0.98 B/S |
| Record vs. | 20-53 (Results) | 32-14-2 (Results) | |
| Current Streak vs. | L 6 | L 2 | |
GAME NOTES
TAKING HOME THE W
The Highlanders earned their first victory of the 2013 season on September 14 with a 3-1 win over Winthrop to conclude the Bankers Classic. The win snapped an eight-match skid to open the season and a 10-match losing streak dating back to the end of last year.
ROAD DIVAS
UCR played its first 13 matches on the road in 2013, tying Cal Poly for most road matches to start the season amongst the leagues' schools.
ACE OF SPADES
The Highlanders recorded a season-high 11 service aces against Winthrop on September 14, tying the most aces the team has served in a match since 2007. The last time a UC Riverside team recorded more than 11 service aces was against Texas Southern on Sept. 14, 2007 with 18 aces.
GENERAL PATTON
UC Riverside is in its first season under new head coach Michelle Patton. Patton comes to the Highlanders following five seasons at San Francisco State, where she took over a program that lay dormant for four years (2004-07). The Gators advanced to two NCAA Tournaments during Patton's tenure including a 21-9 mark in 2012 which included a program-record 16 conference victories.
ALL-TOURNAMENT
Ashley Cox was named to the Wildcat Invitational All-Tournament Team on August 31 after hitting .216 and averaging 3.82 kills per set in the Highlanders three matches against Seattle, Texas Tech and Weber State.
Maddie Hubbell was selected to the Sheraton Airport Lobo Classic All-Tournament Team on September 7 after recording a team-high 43 digs over the weekend for an average of 4.30. She also had eight assists in those matches including a career-best five against Idaho State.
Cristina Maietta earned Bankers Classic All-Tournament Team honors on September 14 following matches against Pacific, San Jose State, and Winthrop. The freshman led the Highlanders with 3.80 kills per set over the weekend including a career-high 19 in UCR's 3-1 win over Winthrop. The outside hitter also averaged 1.90 digs per set, hit .165, and recorded three services aces throughout the three matches.
FIVE-SET THRILLERS
UCR lost a five-set, 3-2 battle to Weber State on August 31. Last year, the blue and gold lost five matches of the five-set variety while winning two of them.
IN THE BEGINNING ...
The Highlanders started the 2012 season with a 3-1 record, tying the program's Division I-era record for best start through four matches. The 2005 UCR squad went on to start the year 11-1. So far in 2013, UC Riverside is 1-12.
ALL-CONFERENCE
Two UC Riverside players garnered All-Big West Conference accolades in 2012 as outside hitters Amanda Vialpando and Ashley Cox were each selected to the Honorable Mention Team, while Cox was also selected to the All-Freshman Team.
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