2015_08_15_VB_Urbach_Alexis_Ready_Position_670

Women's Volleyball 9/8/2015 10:37:00 AM

Volleyball Travels To The Bulldog Showdown Hosted By Fresno State This Weekend

Bulldog Showdown hosted by Fresno State

at Fresno State

September 11 at 11:30 am

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Tickets Call (800) 745-3000

vs. Sacramento State

September 11 at 7:00 pm

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Tickets Call (800) 745-3000

vs. Central Michigan

September 12 at 10:00 am

Live Stats

Tickets Call (800) 745-3000

Fresno—The UC Riverside Volleyball Team travels to its fourth of five tournaments this season to take part in the Bulldog Showdown, where they will face host Fresno State and Sacramento State Friday, September 11 at 11:30 am and 7 pm, respectively. UCR will square off against Central Michigan Saturday, September 12 at 10 am.

Junior Maddie Hubbell leads the Highlanders' defensive efforts and the Big West with a total 127 digs, averaging 4.88 digs per set. She posted a career-high 35 digs in UCR's, 3-2 loss to Nevada during the Portland/Portland State Tournament.

Fabiana Rosas continues her streak as UC Riverside's top outside hitter, delivering three double-digit kills performances during the team's most recent tournament. The junior notched a career-high, 18 kills against Nevada aiding in her move into third place for total kills (90) in the conference.

Freshman Chelsea Doyle is a staple at setter for the Highlanders, ranking fourth in the Big West with an average of 8.23 assists per set and 214 total assists.

UC Riverside starts off the two-day tournament with a Fresno State team that returns its top outside hitter, setter, and a seasoned libero. The Bulldogs have already gotten a taste of the Big West, dropping a match to Cal Poly, 3-2 who started the season ranking seventh in the preseason poll. Fresno State's libero, Maggie Eppright sits at second in the Mountain West conference, averaging 5.08 digs per set.

Sacramento State has also faced defeat against Cal Poly this season, falling 3-1 for its lone loss in the young season. The Hornets top attacker, Lauren Kissel and top setter, Kennedy Kurtz ranks in the top five in the Big Sky conference for kills and assists, respectively.

The Highlanders will close out the Bulldog Showdown with its first ever meeting with Central Michigan. The Chippewas have played to four or five sets in five of their six matches so far this season. The squad ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference with an overall .210 hitting percentage, with their top attacker Jordan Bueter sits at seventh in the conference, averaging 3.38 kills per set.

Highlanders at Bulldog Showdown hosted by Fresno State
	UC Riverside		Fresno State	Sacramento State	Central Michigan
2015 Record & Stats	3-4		3-4	6-1	2-4
	2015 Roster		2015 Roster	2015 Roster	2015 Roster
	2015 Schedule		2015 Schedule	2015 Schedule	2015 Schedule
Conference	Big West		Mountain West	Big Sky	MAC
Current Streak	L 2		W 1	W 5	W 1
Most Recent Box Score	L, 0-3 at Portland		W, 3-0 vs. Bethune Cookman	W, 3-1 at Campbell	W, 3-2 vs. Binghamton
Next Opponent	September 18 at Grand Canyon		September 18 vs. Portland	September 15 at UC Davis	September 18 vs. Evansville
Top Attacker		Fabiana Rosas Junior 90 K, 3.46 K/S, .198 Pct.	Zana Bowens Senior 72 K, 2.77 K/S, .126 Pct.	Lauren Kissel Senior 97 K, 3.88 K/S, .300 Pct.	Jordan Bueter Sophomore 88 K, 3.38 K/S, .226 Pct.
Top Setter		Chelsea Doyle Freshman 214 A, 8.23 A/S	Brooke Legaux Junior 252 A, 9.69 A/S	Kennedy Kurtz Sophomore 271 A, 10.42 A/S	Kathia Sanchez Junior 184 A, 8.36 A/S
Top Blocker		Alex Gresham Sophomore 25 TB, 0.96 B/S	Lauren Torres Sophomore 26 TB, 1.00 B/S	Madeline Cannon Junior 26 TB, 1.08 B/S	Angelique White Junior 22 TB, 1.05 B/S
Record vs.			2-4 (results)	6-7 (results)	First Meeting
Current Streak vs.			L 4	W 1	NA

GAME NOTES
FRESHMAN SENSATION
Alex Gresham was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team in 2014, becoming the fifth Highlander to be so honored (Ashley Cox, 2012; Megan Reza, 2011; Jamie DeKiewiet, 2002; Shannon Burmaster, 2001)

BLUE AND GOLD DIGGER
Sophomore Maddie Hubbell ranked eighth in the Big West in digs per set last season with 3.59. She currently leads the conference in total digs (127) and second in digs per set (4.88).

She was recently named Big West Defensive Player of the Week for her stellar performance from August 31-September 6. She is the first Highlander to receive a weekly award since Amanda Vialpando in 2011.

(ALMOST) OVER THE RAINBOW
UC Riverside took the first set from nationally-ranked Hawai'i in the last match of the 2014 season, 25-19. It marked the first time the Highlanders had won a set against the Rainbow Wahine since 1984, spanning 20 sets. UCR also nearly topped Hawai'i in the second set of their September 27 meeting, but the Rainbow Wahine eked out a 29-27 victory.

SWEPT UP
The Highlanders three-set win over Savannah State on September 6, 2014 (box score/recap) was the first sweep for UC Riverside since a 3-0 victory over Villanova on September 15, 2012 (box score/recap).

FOURTH AND FIFTH
The Highlanders played to four or five sets in 13 of 28 matches last season. The 2004, 2007 and 2012 squads all played 15 matches to four or five sets to claim the UCR Division I mark.

This season, UC Riverside has played to four or five sets in three out of its first seven matches.

LET THERE BE HEIGHT!
Of the eight newcomers to the Highlanders 2015 squad, five are taller than 6-0, giving UC Riverside eight 6-footers overall, and its highest percentage of 6-footers in the Division I history of the program.

GENERAL PATTON
UC Riverside is in its third season under new head coach Michelle Patton. Patton came 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.